Returning Dangers
by JBGilroy
Summary: Multiple crossover, details inside. Sequel to Ghostly Justice. It's just a normal day for Danny, checking an abandoned GiW base for ghosts and information on dangerous projects until he gets pulled into a cupboard and goes missing. Join the search team as they scrabble to find leads. Could this have something to do with the last time the halfa met the teen heroes? (t to be safe)
1. Chapter 1

**Presenting the winner of the poll!**

 **Yep, this is a sequel and you've been waiting a long time for it. Sorry about that but I hope it's worth the wait. If you haven't read the previous stories, you're likely to be a bit lost. The direct prequel to this is Ghostly Justice but all previous crossovers with Kim Possible and American Dragon: Jake Long are also included in this time line.**

 **This story leads on directly from the previous fanfic but there's a time skip. The previous story was set after Hallowe'en. So Artemis and Zatanna had met and fought Secret/Greta Hayes and Harm but Zatara was still around at the time. But it was set after the show finales of Kim Possible, Danny Phantom and American Dragon: Jake Long. This is set early summer the next year.**

 **This story has a number of crossovers too. It crosses over Danny Phantom, Young Justice, Kim Possible, American Dragon: Jake Long, (and minor spoiler) Jimmy Neutron.**

 **I'll be honest, I wasn't happy with the previous fanfic. I'll admit it wasn't my best work and there were a lot of plot holes and out-of-character moments. But this story should clear those up.**

 **I don't own Kim Possible, Danny Phantom, Young Justice, American Dragon: Jake Long or Jimmy Neutron.**

 **Wow, that was a lot to say.**

 **But without further ado… on with the story!**

Danielle kicked a mangled cage on the dusty lab floor. Sam scanned the room with a scowl on her face.

"Danny, they're gone. By the looks of it, for months," Sam complained. Danny rolled his eyes as he opened another filing cabinet.

"Yeah, I see that. But you know we're not just here to clear out scientists and trapped ghosts," Danny retorted.

"Come on Danny! We've been here for ages! Can't you just grab everything in those drawers and take it home. Dad's gonna have finished testing the new Speeder before we leave at this rate," Danielle whined. Danny glanced at her and shook his head.

"The only kid actually interested in dad's ramblings," Danny mumbled to himself. He turned to face his adopted sister.

"No Dani. That isn't possible. There's too much here and most of it is useless. Just be patient for a little longer and we'll get ice cream or whatever on the way back," Danny promised. Danielle grinned.

"Sweet!" she cheered.

Danny shut the drawer he'd been searching through and walked to the next cabinet. He crouched down and peered into a dark cupboard. It seemed empty and Danny was about to move on when he spotted a flashing red light at the back. He raised an eyebrow curiously and reached into the cupboard. It was surprisingly deep.

"Danny? You alright?" Sam called curiously.

"There's a flashing light in here," Danny grunted as he strained to reach the source of the light. He shuffled closer to the cupboard, squashing his face painfully flush to the next cupboard over to reach into the cupboard.

"Aha!" he cried in triumph as his ghostly gloved fingers brushed against the small device at the back, wedged in the top corner. Despite this being a ghost hunter's lab, Danny preferred to investigate while in his ghost form, that way he had quick access to all his powers if something happened.

"What is it?" Danielle wondered. Danny frowned in concentration as he tried to get even further in to grab the device and pull it out. His eyes widened in shock though as he heard the tiniest click.

"Uh, Dani, back away slowly. You too Sam," Danny muttered worriedly.

"What's wrong?" Sam inquired, hearing the fear in her boyfriend's voice.

"I think I may have accidently triggered a trap," Danny admitted slowly, keeping his hand as still as possible, not wanting to make any sudden moves and triggering the trap further.

"Why?" Sam pressed worriedly, taking the smallest step closer to help.

"I heard a click. Sam, stay back. I dunno if this trap is timed. It mightn't only hurt ghosts," Danny warned sternly, turning his head as much as possible to look at his girlfriend, which was unfortunately very little as he couldn't pull away without moving his hand.

"So what do we do?!" Sam demanded worriedly.

"I don't know alright. But if it's pressure sensitive, if I move it'll trigger. Maybe call Tuck. He might be able to get someone out here to help me," Danny answered trying to keep as calm as possible in the situation.

"Good idea. Hold on," Sam agreed and tugged her phone out of her skirt pocket.

Danielle edged closer to the Goth girl.

"Don't worry Danny, we're not gonna just leave you," Danielle called reassuringly. Danny nodded slowly.

"I know Dani. Just, please, stay back. Remember where we are," Danny retorted.

"Yeah, I know. Old Guys in White building. Very dangerous. Blah blah blah," Danielle grumbled, opening and closing her hand like a mouth moving. Danny scowled.

"Dani, I mean it. This place is dangerous. It was places like this where they made Project White Flower," Danny scolded, sensing that Danielle wasn't taking the threat seriously. He couldn't really blame her. This was the twentieth base he'd taken her to and this was the third time he thought he triggered a trap. The first time was when he trod on a wobbly floor board and thought it was a pressure pad. It took thirty minutes for Tucker to come and figure out the truth. Danny still hadn't lived down that embarrassment. The second was when Danielle pressed a button and Danny had been forced to dodge a number of ghost weapons in the next room. That was the last time Danielle was allowed to touch anything without Sam or Danny's say so first.

"No signal," Sam informed him fearfully. Danny bit his lip worriedly. He couldn't stay completely still forever. And it could took take hours before anyone noticed the three of them missing. Jazz was away with Maddie, college scouting. Jack was testing weaponry which tended to blind the man to other responsibilities like checking on his half-ghost kids. Tucker was busy at the town hall, which was the reason the techno-geek wasn't with the trio in the first place. Valerie would probably notice first and that would only be because of a ghost attack and no Phantoms. The new Fenton portal was up and running for a month now and ghosts had started using the doorway. On the upside, Danny had finally been able to empty all the thermoses filled with ghosts lying around.

"Danny, we can't wait for help," Sam commented, reading her boyfriend's mind. Danny nodded in understanding.

"I know. I'm thinking," Danny muttered, his cheek was really starting hurt with the pressure he was pressing against the cupboard in order to stay in contact with whatever he was touching.

"Why don't we race the trap? Try and get far enough away before it triggers," Danielle suggested hopefully.

"What if it's a bomb? What if the trap isn't localised to right here? Dani, it's too dangerous," Danny pointed out.

"I could take Dani to the next room. We'll be safe there and you can run for it," Sam offered. Danny sighed softly. It was better than waiting and hoping a ghost attacked soon. It was an hour's drive to this base as it was without having to wait for someone to realise something was up.

"Alright, but be ready for anything," he relented.

Both girls nodded and scurried to the lab door and waited for Danny to race the trap.

"I swear Danny, if this is another loose floor board thing, I'm never listening to you again when it comes to traps," Danielle called to her brother as he prepared to run, shuffling his feet underneath him and pressing his free hand against the cupboard to push off of. Danny rolled his eyes.

"On three Danny. One!" Sam shouted encouragingly. Danny took a deep breath and readied himself.

"Two!" Sam resumed. Danny edged his fingers away from whatever he was touching in order to bolt.

"Three!" Sam cried. Danny jumped to his feet, pushing away from the cupboard and releasing the device in the cupboard in one swift, fluid movement.

However before the halfa could take a single step away, something shot out of the cupboard and latched on to his ankle. Danny tripped as he started running and cried out in alarm, slamming, face-first, on the ground. He spun around to see a metal claw holding his ankle tightly. His gaze flicked to the red light only to see the light was a steady bright green. He gulped nervously.

"Danny!" Sam and Danielle screamed fearfully. Danny tried to shake the claw off of himself as the girls ran back into the room. Despite the loud rattling of the attached chain, Danny heard another click and a steady clacking filled the room as the claw began to drag him towards the cupboard. He gasped fearfully and grabbed anything within reach, feeling Sam grasp his wrist painfully tightly.

"I got you!" she exclaimed and tugged on his arm to stop him being dragged into the cupboard. Danny yelped in alarm and fear as he saw the cupboard back had slid away and the claw doubled its attempt to pull him into the cupboard. Danielle grabbed his other arm as Danny used his free foot to stop himself going any further. The three teens strained against the claw together.

Suddenly, with a mighty crack, the cupboard Danny had propped his foot against splintered and the sudden jerk forward caused Danielle to lose her grip on her brother's arm.

"No!" Danielle shrieked terrified. Danny was pulled inch by inch away, faster than Danielle could recover and stronger than Sam could stop.

"Sam, let go!" Danny yelled as he heard her combat boots squeaking beside his head with the effort of trying to save him.

"No! We have no idea what will happen!" Sam growled.

"Exactly! If you don't let go, you're gonna get dragged down with me! Let go!" Danny retorted panicked, his hips had entered the cupboard by now and the claw wasn't stopping. Sam bit her lip, drawing a few beads of blood.

"We're not going to rest until we find you. Hold on. We'll find you," Sam vowed, tears in her eyes. Danny gave her a solemn nod and she let go. Danny's head disappeared into the cupboard seconds later.

Danny screamed as he was suddenly pulled down a hole. Instinctively he tried to stop the fall by tapping into his ability to fly, but after a few seconds of fighting the claw, he quickly realised he was fighting a losing battle. The claw was taking him down. He had no choice in the matter. He was going down the chute.

Sam flinched as she heard her boyfriend scream, her heart thundering in her chest as his voice grew fainter. Danielle slowly got to her feet, having fallen over when she lost her grip on Danny. The young girl edged closer to Sam, her body shaking with fear. Suddenly her adoptive brother's warnings and concerns didn't sound so ridiculous. They were scary real for her. Sam swallowed stiffly and pulled out a blueprint Tucker printed off for them. She scanned it and shook her head in despair. The trap wasn't on the blueprint. They were in a corner on the bottom level. She had no idea where that claw was dragging her boyfriend to. She fished out her phone. Nervously biting the inside of her cheek, she eyed the symbol telling her there was no signal. She glanced worriedly at the cupboard.

"Dani, take my phone outside and call Tucker or your dad. I'm staying here, maybe I can open that passage Danny went through and we'll be able to follow," Sam planned and handed her phone to Danielle who nodded in numb obedience. Danielle scampered away towards the stairs into the offices above and out to Sam's car. Sam crouched down beside the cupboard. It was completely dark now. No sign of a blinking light anywhere inside. She crawled inside as much as she dared and brushed her hand on the back of the cupboard.

"Hold on Danny. We'll find you," she whispered to herself worriedly. Without her phone to use as a flashlight, she was left to feel the cupboard with her hands to find clues. She eventually wrapped her hands around the device Danny found. With a soft sigh in relief to have found that proof, she crawled out of the cupboard and sat beside it. She scanned the wrecked lab and shuddered. The image of Danny trapped in one of those cages came to the forefront of her mind. And she hated how true that image could be.

 **Oh no! Danny's been taken by someone! Any guesses who?**

 **Let me know what you think so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

It took less than two hours for Jack and Tucker to rush to the hidden Guys in White base Danny, Sam and Danielle had been investigating.

"What happened?!" Tucker demanded as he rushed ahead of Jack and Danielle, who clung to her adoptive father fearfully, to Sam who hadn't moved away from the cupboard Danny had vanished into. Sam shook her head helplessly.

"Danny was looking through these drawers and cupboards for evidence of other projects or links to other bases we haven't found yet. He looked in this cupboard and said he saw a flashing light. The next minute he froze and said he heard a click. You know how paranoid he gets in these places. He thought he triggered a trap and told us to back off. There's no signal down here so we decided that Danny should just try and get away as fast as possible. So we went to the door and he prepared to run for it," Sam explained.

"But something grabbed him from the cupboard and pulled him in," Danielle resumed softly. Jack pressed the girl comfortingly into his side.

"We couldn't stop it. He used his foot to stop himself against this cupboard but it broke. He told me to let go. He-he didn't want me to get dragged in too," Sam continued with a shake of her head sadly.

Tucker dropped to his knees and crawled into the cupboard, ignoring the grime he was getting on his mayoral suit. He hated it anyway, he missed the days he could get away with wearing a long sleeved top and cargo pants. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned on the flashlight app. He scanned the cupboard, his gaze falling on the device Danny found. He shuffled in further and examined the device as much as he could in the light from his phone. He frowned.

"This looks like a scanner. As well as an opening mechanism," he called over his shoulder.

"The back of the cupboard slid away to take Danny someplace," Sam informed him. Tucker nodded slightly in understanding. He backed out of the cupboard.

"Get me a screwdriver and I might be able to get the thing open," Tucker requested.

Sam scrambled to her feet and ran across the lab to a battered toolbox she spotted. She flung it open and rummaged through the tools inside, not caring about how many sharp tools inside could hurt her. Before long she found a screwdriver, which she grabbed and ran to Tucker's side, flinging the tool at him. He took it and crawled back into the cupboard. He propped his phone against a side to give him light with both his hands free. Tucker began to tinker with the device and after ten minutes of fiddling with a particularly finicky screw, he got the panel open and pressed a few wires. With a click, deafening in the tense silence, the back of the cupboard slid open and a claw propelled out of the darkness. Tucker threw himself out of the cupboard and dodged the claw narrowly.

"That's what grabbed Danny!" Danielle exclaimed. Sam scowled at the claw angrily. Tucker blinked and scanned the claw. There was another click and the chain and claw began to retreat back into the cupboard. They watched the claw disappear and the back of the cupboard slid back into place.

"I think we're gonna need some experts," Tucker mumbled softly. Sam bit her lip, ignoring the slight sting from the small bite marks left from earlier.

"There's no signal down here. If you're calling anyone in, you're gonna have to go back up," she informed him. Tucker nodded and got to his feet, brushing the dust off his knees. He grabbed his phone out of the cupboard before walking out of the complex, turning off the light and typing a number to call.

Within another two hours, Tucker had called in a group of experts ranging from trained technicians to professional cave-spelunkers. The cupboard was broken down in order to enable easy access to the sliding back. Floodlights were set up to illuminate the lab which had long lost its access to electricity. The engineers managed to re-engineer the device in order to open the door, springing the claw trap but removed the timer which caused the mechanism to close. Spelunkers then scaled down the chute beyond the sliding door to ensure the chute was safe to explore. Danielle had been forbidden in case there was more than just a claw and chute to this trap, not that the young halfa was willing, terrified of the building now that Danny's fears had been founded.

Tucker and Sam waited anxiously with Danielle for the green light to climb down the chute. Jack would be forced to stay in the lab as he was too big to fit in the chute. Twenty minutes later a faint shout echoed up the chute giving them the go ahead. Danielle floated down the chute nervously and Sam and Tucker got help to clip on harnesses before climbing down. They emerged into a small room lit by a few flashlights the spelunkers had. Danielle turned to them.

"Danny's not here anymore," she muttered. Sam nodded stiffly, despite hoping they'd find Danny struggling with the claw down at the bottom of the chute, Sam knew that he wouldn't be there.

Tucker and Sam pulled out their phones and using the light from the devices, began to search for clues. Sam gasped as she spotted something on the ground. Drag marks. Something had been dragged through the room recently. Sam gulped as suddenly in her mind she could hear her boyfriend shouting angrily, fighting faceless men as they dragged him away from the chute, struggling uselessly.

"What's up Sam?" Tucker called.

"I… I found these," Sam mumbled and pointed to the drag marks. Tucker frowned worriedly as he saw what she spotted.

"There's a door here!" one of the spelunkers announced from the opposite side of the room. Sam's heart skipped a beat as she saw that the scuff marks went in that direction.

It took a few minutes to get the door open, Danielle resorting to phasing through the door and unlatching a bolt on the other side once they realised the door was locked and there wasn't a lock to pick. The group of six ventured through the door and found themselves in a narrow corridor, with more drag marks on the floor. Within five minutes, they reached another door that led to stairs. They scaled the stairs and emerged outside the back of the complex where there were tyre tracks leading towards the road.

Tucker, with a serious look on his face, pulled out his PDA and began to hack nearby traffic cameras. Unfortunately there was too much traffic and no clues as to what car they were looking for. There weren't any cameras on the complex itself. Tucker chewed his lip as he turned to Sam and Danielle. They all knew it and none of them wanted to admit it. They'd lost Danny.

Tucker turned to his PDA again and searched for a special website to contact a friend, Kim Possible. The site was no longer in active use but they could hope that the college girl or her genius friend, Wade would look and start searching. Next Tucker searched for an electronics shop in New York and called the contact number. The phone was picked up after the fifth ring.

"Lao Shi's electronics shop. Never had a sale, never had a return. How can we help you?" a gruff male voice answered.

"Fu dog? It's Tucker. Is Jake busy?" Tucker replied, stepping out of earshot of the spelunkers.

"Tucker? Sure, he's here for training. Jake!" Fu dog confirmed. A few seconds later there was the sound of shuffling as the phone changed hands.

"Tucker? What's up?" Jake asked curiously.

"Danny's missing," Tucker told him.

"What?! How?" Jake exclaimed loudly.

"He was looking around an old Guys in White base and tripped a trap. Got dragged away and we found tyre tracks. He's been taken and we have no leads," Tucker explained. Jake gasped.

"How long has he been taken for?" Jake inquired. Tucker checked his watch and did a quick calculation in his head.

"About four and a half hours," Tucker guessed.

"Where are you? Might be able to get Spud hacking cameras and finding clues. He's on vacation with his parents but I can call him," Jake offered.

"I already tried but it was only a quick look," Tucker admitted before giving the address. Jake hummed as he scribbled the address down.

"Did you contact Kim yet? She's good at this stuff right?" Jake asked.

"Yeah, just put a message on her website. Don't have her number. Danny has them all and he's… you know," Tucker answered.

"I can check to see if I have her number for you. Tell her more directly," Jake suggested.

"That would be great Jake. Thanks. I'm gonna try and get in contact with Robin and them too, or Batman or someone like that next. You wouldn't happen to have a number, would you?" Tucker inquired hopefully. Jake clicked his tongue in thought.

"You know what, I might be able to get in contact with Zatara or Zatanna. They can get the others involved," Jake muttered.

"Try. I dunno if they have a number or anything," Tucker requested.

"Will do. Good luck Tucker. I'll head to Fenton Works when I can alright," Jake concluded before hanging up.

Tucker dropped his phone in his pocket and turned to the spelunkers to thank and excuse them. Tucker waited until they left before returning to Jack and telling the concerned father that he had everything under control and had already called in a few favours on Danny's behalf. Tucker then called the police and requested the area be cordoned off to the public, entrance on to the site depending on his permission. Then the five concerned ghost fighters returned to Amity Park.

Jake put down the phone and turned to his grandfather and magical companion, a talking Shar Pei.

"Danny's missing," he told them, noticing that they were waiting for an explanation.

"What? How? That kid is near invincible," Fu dog exclaimed in shock.

"Trap in a Guys in White base I was told. Got dragged off and they've lost the trail. I'm gonna call Spud in a sec to get onto traffic cameras. But first. Reckon we could use a magical telegram to get in touch with a couple of magicians?" Jake replied.

"Who do you have in mind young dragon?" Lao Shi asked.

"Zatara or Zatanna. Tucker wanted to contact those heroes since Danny's dealt with them in the past but didn't know how. I offered to let them know myself," Jake answered. Lao Shi nodded and shuffled into the back room of the electronics shop to contact a telegram fairy for his grandson to use.

 **So, in case anyone's confused about Kim's website not being active… it was explained in the previous fanfic, but she's at college at the time this story is set. Both Kim and Ron have retired while attending college. So the site is still there but Kim doesn't use it anymore. But she's personal friends with Danny, having had a few adventures with the halfa.**

 **I can already sense someone will ask. Spelunkers are cave explorers. They are used to exploring dangerous places with tiny crevices. I thought it was a good person to call in. Fun fact, Spud mentions the term in American Dragon, but I can't remember the episode right now.**

 **Let me know what you think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. A young boy was walking home from the park with his metal dog, Goddard.

"I can't wait to start work on that regenerative candy bar idea for Carl," Jimmy Neutron mused to his robotic pet. Goddard barked his usual metallic bark. Jimmy grinned happily as he walked up to his front door.

"I hope mom doesn't mind me researching with the stuff in the kitchen," Jimmy muttered to the dog as he walked into the house. Goddard scanned the house suspiciously as Jimmy calmly walked straight into the kitchen.

The ten year old froze as he saw his mother and father tied to chairs in the kitchen and a group of four people in dark clothes with black cloth masks covering their faces and a buff man with blonde hair and a ski mask. Goddard wandered into the room and growled at the intruders.

"Call off your robot or things are gonna get unpleasant," the blonde man snarled in warning.

"Well, personally things are already unpleasant. It would be more threatening if you threatened to make things more dangerous or _more_ unpleasant," Jimmy corrected before blinking as he realised what he had done. Two of the black clad people grabbed his gagged parents and placed guns to their heads.

"Call off the mutt or we kill your parents," the man growled angrily. Jimmy gulped fearfully and nodded.

"Goddard, stop," Jimmy ordered, swallowing the dryness in his throat.

Goddard stopped growling but instead began recording the interaction. The blonde man nodded in approval.

"You are going to come with us, quietly," the man commanded.

"Why?" Jimmy inquired softly.

"Because if you don't we'll kill your parents," the man gritted out. Jimmy shook his head and held his hands up quickly to appease the group.

"No-no that's not what I meant. I meant why do you want me to go with you?" Jimmy amended.

"Because we require your services. Does it matter?! Either come with us or become an orphan. That simple," the man answered sharply. Jimmy nodded in understanding. These men were brutes, dangerous brutes that were threatening his parents. He had to be careful.

"If you need me to make something for you, I'll need tools. May I get them from the basement?" Jimmy requested carefully. The blonde man tilted his head slightly in thought.

"We have tools where you're going," the man retorted.

"I'm used to my own tools. And I have tweaked some of them to improve their performance. I'd assume that whatever you require from me would be best done as quickly as possible. Surely allowing me to get my tools would be the best option," Jimmy reasoned. The blonde man huffed impatiently.

"Fine kid. Get your precious tools if they mean so much," he grumbled. Jimmy gave a quick grateful smile and rushed out of the kitchen towards the traditional entrance of the basement, he didn't want these people knowing about the secret access hatches in his room or clubhouse, giving the blonde man and the one black clad person that followed him a quick glance.

Jimmy walked down the stairs and turned on the light, he wanted the lab to look as unassuming as possible. If he could get these kidnappers to take him less seriously he might be able to escape. However he couldn't exactly hide all his inventions ranging from a rocket to a functioning time machine.

"Grab your tools kid," the blonde man prompted. Jimmy nodded fearfully and ducked under the computer counter. He quickly reworked the wires to emit a distress signal and then came out.

"Huh? Not there," he called loudly. He rushed across the lab to where he kept a new project, a life-sized robotic version of one of the cartoon characters Sheen loved. He slipped behind it and rapidly unclipped the panel and twisted together a few wires, biting back a soft yelp as his fingers were singed by a spark.

"Not there either? I know where I put them," Jimmy exclaimed unconvincingly. He had never been a good actor. Jimmy rushed to the other side of the lab and counted the seconds until the robot booted up.

Jimmy ducked down behind a workbench laden down with old projects and a couple of notebooks, filled with blueprints for future ideas.

"Kid! This is getting annoying. Quite stalling and grab the to-!" the blonde shouted but was interrupted by the robot shuddering to life. The black clad person leapt forward and Jimmy watched in dismay as the kidnapper completely destroyed the robot. The blonde man stomped over to the workbench and yanked the boy out by the back of his shirt.

"Enough! You'll have to manage with our tools," the man snarled angrily. Jimmy flinched fearfully, dreading what would happen now that his robot plan had failed.

Both kidnappers returned to the kitchen and Jimmy's parents cried out in fear as they saw their son in the blonde man's grasp, muffled by their gags.

"We're leaving," the blonde declared. Jimmy couldn't stop himself.

"No! Mom! Dad! No! Put me down!" Jimmy yelled in a panic and struggled uselessly, he could feel foolish later. Goddard ran forward to help but one of the people in black fired a gun at the robot.

"Goddard!" Jimmy screamed as the dog exploded.

"Next will be your parents. Now, shut up!" the blonde hissed in Jimmy's ear. Jimmy clamped his mouth shut and nodded. Without another word, the blonde man carried Jimmy out of the house and the four black clad people followed. Hugh Neutron tried to free himself and only achieved falling over with the chair sideways. The sound of a car told the parents that Jimmy had been taken and they wouldn't be able to catch up. Judy Neutron began to cry, loud heaving sobs escaping her gag.

In the thick silence that followed, punctuated with loud sobs, Goddard's pieces trembled and flew back together. Hugh blinked as the robotic dog barked and ran to Judy, a laser morphing out of its head to cut the ropes tying her to the chair. Judy tore away the gag and buried her face in her hands. Goddard then went to Hugh and freed him.

"Good dog," Hugh praised as he got to his feet and wrapped his arms around his wife to comfort her.

"Now now, Jimmy's a smart kid Judy. He'll be alright," Hugh muttered.

Within thirty minutes, both parents had called the police and were sitting in the kitchen, sipping cups of tea as they waited for the police to get to the house. However when they answered a knock on the door, they certainly weren't expecting to see a group of teenagers. A boy in bright coloured clothes and a cape, Robin, partner to Gotham's Batman. A girl with long black hair wearing a suit, Zatanna. A green skinned girl with long red hair, Miss Martian. A tall boy with a Superman shirt, Superboy.

"We received a distress beacon from this house. Are we too late to help?" Robin explained with a worried frown, seeing that both adults were distraught.

"Distress beacon?" Judy repeated in confusion. The teens nodded in confirmation. Hugh snapped his fingers.

"Jimmy! He was in his lab. He must have sent the signal," the man realised.

"Who's Jimmy?" Miss Martian wondered.

"Our son. He's a genius," Judy answered. All four teens raised doubtful eyebrows. "No, he really is. He has an IQ of 210. He has a lab in the basement," Hugh added. The teenagers blinked in surprise.

"What happened then? Why did he send out a distress call?" Zatanna asked.

"He was kidnapped. We were held at gunpoint and bound to chairs," Judy replied with a soft sob.

"Did you see their faces?" Robin inquired. The four teens knew this was a job for the police, but since they were there, they might as well look into the matter.

"No. They wore masks," Hugh admitted sadly. Goddard wandered over to the door and barked at the teens.

"What's that?" Superboy remarked.

"Oh, that's Goddard. Our son made him because we said no to getting a real dog. Goddard cut us free," Judy explained.

Goddard barked again and morphed to show a screen in his chest. The screen flickered with a jagged line which moved as a voice was replayed for the teens.

"You are going to come with us, quietly," the voice repeated.

"Sportsmaster," Robin whispered in recognition.

"You know who they are! Can you find our son?" Judy requested with desperate excitement. Robin glanced at the others on his team.

"We'll do our very best. You have our word," Robin confirmed before the teens walked into the house to look for clues.

 **Any ideas why Jimmy was kidnapped?**

 **Other than Sportsmaster, do you know who the other kidnappers were?**

 **I'll be honest, I tried to watch Jimmy Neutron so I could study the characters but I couldn't get into the show. I know Jimmy might be a little different but I tried to keep him as close as possible to the show's interpretation.**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

Jimmy watched as the blonde man sat opposite him in the van. Jimmy had his hands bound now and had been told not to run or they would go back to his house for his parents. Jimmy obediently sat quietly, watching the blonde man worriedly. He was desperately trying to come up with a plan. But he was only ten years old. He didn't know how to drive, he could probably figure it out, but he was so short he mightn't be able to reach the pedals. Of course he could always come up with a rig to reach the pedals for him, but that would take time he couldn't depend on having. He was bound and not a strong person, which meant he'd need a sharp object to free his hands. Then there was the issue that he was in the back of a van with three armed people threatening to kill his parents should he try anything.

So he was left to wait until the kidnappers took him to where they were taking him. Hopefully that place would be easier to escape and if not, he could just do what they want and they'll let him go. He was curious. Why did these adults require a boy genius such as himself for the task they wished him to complete? After an hour, Jimmy had relaxed enough to chance the question.

"Why did you take me? There are a lot of smart people out there, granted not as intelligent as myself, but my parents are going to call the cops and they'll find me," Jimmy asked. The blonde man raised an eyebrow, barely visible through the holes in his ski mask.

"First off, the cops aren't gonna find you kid. Second, if we're gonna kidnap someone, why not the smartest out there? And third, kids are easier to control than adults," the man answered. Jimmy gulped nervously, those were two very good reasons.

"What do you need me to do?" Jimmy inquired.

"You'll find out soon enough," the man retorted, shuffling down into his seat to get more comfortable. Jimmy bit his lip to stop himself asking more questions. He may not be very good at reading people, but even he could see that this man didn't want to talk further. Jimmy glanced at the other two people in the back of the van, two of the four completely black clad people, the other two were in the front.

"Who are you?" he blurted out before he could stop himself.

"Sportsmaster and those are League of Shadows," the blonde man told him. Jimmy turned to the man.

"Are you hired to kidnap me?" Jimmy wondered carefully. The blonde man chuckled darkly.

"Smart kid. Now shut up," Sportsmaster replied. Jimmy clamped his mouth shut and nodded obediently.

Another hour later and the van slowed down to a stop. Sportsmaster got to his feet, stretching his back until it popped and grabbed Jimmy roughly by the shoulder.

"Alright, out. We're here," Sportsmaster growled. Jimmy didn't struggle as he was pushed out of the van into glaringly bright sunshine, momentarily blinded. Sportsmaster steered the boy towards a complex and shoved Jimmy down two flights of stairs and a number of corridors, Jimmy tried to keep track but it felt like they went in a spiralling circle before they arrived at a bolted metal door.

"Hope you like your roommate," Sportsmaster remarked before unbolting the door and pushing Jimmy inside so forcefully that the boy fell over.

Jimmy slowly picked himself up, impeded by his hands still being tied behind his back. He then scanned the dimly lit room warily for this roommate Sportsmaster mentioned. In the far corner was a teenager, his eyes were shut, clearing showing that he was sleeping. The teenager had messy white hair and wore a black jumpsuit with a white collar, belt, gloves, and boots and a unique insignia on his chest. Jimmy gasped as he recognised the teen. Danny Phantom. Jimmy recalled that the half-ghost hero had been missing for a week, suspected to have been taken by the illegal organisation the Guys in White. The boy watched the teen and took in the halfa's appearance. His ghostly glow was flickering weakly and the teen's face looked worn. Jimmy frowned though when he spotted a collar on the teen's neck and realised that Danny's hands were also restrained behind his back.

Jimmy licked his lips nervously and walked on his knees to the nearest corner. He didn't know how to approach this situation. So instead he assessed the situation he found himself in in order to formulate an escape plan. Metal, heavy door bolted on the outside. Hands tied behind his back in a dark small room with not even a bed inside. Missing half-ghost found. Jimmy frowned. He knew that Danny could turn intangible. Why hadn't the teen escaped by himself yet? A soft shuffling from the teenager in question told Jimmy that Danny was awake now. Softly glowing green eyes locked onto Jimmy's wide blue eyes.

"Oh, er hi?" Danny croaked in confusion.

"Hello," Jimmy returned quietly. Danny pushed himself higher against the wall.

"Uh, how long have you been there? And who are you?" Danny asked cautiously.

"James Isaac Neutron. But you can call me Jimmy. I've been here for less than five minutes," Jimmy answered. Danny frowned.

"Okay, er why are you here?" Danny wondered in confusion.

"I got kidnapped because I'm a genius. The people here want me to work on some problem for them," Jimmy replied. Danny nodded slowly in understanding.

"You're Danny Phantom right?" Jimmy commented after a brief silence. Danny blinked and nodded.

"Yeah. I am. Wouldn't happen to know how long I've been here?" Danny confirmed. Jimmy blinked in surprise.

"You don't know?" Jimmy retorted incredulously.

"Been in here practically the whole time. No windows, no clocks. And I've lost count of hours since I can't count when I'm asleep," Danny explained.

"A week. Well, it's been on the news for a week," Jimmy recalled.

Danny scowled and sighed. He took in the boy across the room. Young, not even a teenager yet. Short. Brown hair in a tall cowlick. Blue curious eyes. Red shirt with a science symbol on it and jeans. Danny raised an eyebrow as he noticed the kid was bound as well.

"Come here, I'll try and untie you. Don't worry, I don't bite or whatever," Danny offered and waited for the boy to start walking on his knees towards Danny before turning slightly in order to use his bound hands. Jimmy sat down with his back to Danny's and waited while Danny attempted to untie the tight knots in the rope on Jimmy's wrists.

"I could untie you after," Jimmy suggested.

"Sorry Jimmy, not that simple. I've got anti-ghost handcuffs on. Not rope. But thanks for the offer," Danny replied grimly, scowling in concentration as he fiddled with a particularly difficult knot.

"Is that why you haven't escaped yet?" Jimmy inquired, tilting his head slightly to look at Danny. Danny sighed and nodded.

"Yeah. That and this collar. It's draining my energy while stopping me from changing back to human," Danny confirmed.

Jimmy chewed his lip lightly in thought as he listened to Danny grunt or cry out quietly in celebration while he laboriously untied the knots behind his back. Jimmy's hands fell forward as the rope finally fell away.

"Thanks," Jimmy remarked with a broad grin. Danny settled back against the wall with a nod.

"You're welcome. Now when you say you're a genius, how genius are we talking?" Danny inquired.

"My IQ is 210," Jimmy answered. Danny gave a low whistle.

"Impressive. Any good with tech?" Danny asked. Jimmy puffed his chest proudly.

"Am I any good with tech? I'm brilliant with tech! I've built a rocket, a time machine and a robot dog," Jimmy bragged. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, could you take a look at these cuffs? If we can get these things off me, I'll be able to get us both out of here," Danny requested. Jimmy nodded immediately and Danny shifted again to allow Jimmy to see the handcuffs.

They were metal with green, softly glowing, inlay. They were tight too, cutting into Danny's wrists. Jimmy was certain that the teen's wrists would be bruised if not cut underneath the metal despite the thick rubber gloves he was wearing. The cuffs were connected by a short stream of blue light that Danny could pull taut with effort in order for Jimmy to examine fully. The cuffs were thin and had almost invisible hinges and clasps. However Jimmy saw that there was a small key hole on the right cuff. He had limited light to examine the device but he could see that he would need tools to unlock them without the key.

"Well, can you get them off?" Danny asked hopefully.

"No. Not without tools. And I don't have any. I'm sorry," Jimmy muttered apologetically.

"But if you had tools, you'd be able to get them off right?" Danny pressed. Jimmy blinked.

"Yeah, but like I said we don't have tools," Jimmy retorted. Danny returned to his seat against the wall.

"I know. But at least it's a start. What about the collar?" Danny replied and lifted his head for the boy. Jimmy examined the collar like the teen requested. It was also metal but a lot thicker and was flush to Danny's skin. Jimmy spotted there was a detachable power unit on the side that looked near full. Jimmy brushed a hand against it curiously.

"Careful. That's raw ghost energy. They're draining it from me to power something," Danny warned. Jimmy glanced at the teen before nodding and resuming his investigation. Jimmy pursed his lips and saw that like the cuffs, there was green inlay and almost invisible clasps and hinges. It also had a tiny key hole. The collar almost seemed to hum under the boy genius's fingers.

"I can't get it off without tools," Jimmy admitted as he withdrew. Danny nodded.

"That's alright. Thanks for looking," Danny muttered as he fell into his thoughts.

"Um, Mr Phantom? How did you get caught?" Jimmy ventured nervously. Danny looked up at the boy who was standing awkwardly nearby.

"Relax, call me Danny. Just treat me like any other teenager. But I've been trying to track down Guys in White bases for a few months now. I was in one when I got caught. Looked in a cupboard and saw a flashing light. Got curious and tripped a trap. Tried to out run it as help was at least an hour away and there was no cell service. But a claw came out and grabbed my ankle. Sam and Danielle couldn't stop me being dragged away. The claw was phase-proof. I couldn't escape it and it was way too strong to fight against. So it pulled me down this chute thing and dropped me on the ground in this tiny room. A group of guys grabbed me and put these cuffs on me and dragged me through a corridor and up some stairs to a car. They put this collar on me and drove here. They put a bag over my head so I wouldn't be able to see where they took me," Danny recounted. Jimmy frowned in thought.

"What about you?" Danny prompted curiously.

 **Found Danny! But who's responsible for kidnapping both our favourite halfa and Jimmy?**

 **Let me know what you guys think.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

Jazz slammed down the phone. Yet another journalist looking for a comment from the family. It was the fifth that day and there was usually twelve a day. Maddie sighed.

"Phoney Danny sighting or journalist?" she asked her eldest daughter.

"Journalist," Jazz answered. Maddie rubbed her face tiredly. She'd been having nightmares of her son in the hands of the Guys in White every night since he went missing eight days ago.

"I'd suggest disconnecting the phone but part of me hopes the next time it rings it'll be Danny," Maddie mumbled. Jazz nodded in agreement. Sam, Tucker and Danielle had gone into the Ghost Zone to talk to Frostbite, hoping to borrow the Infi-map.

Jack wrestled his way through the crowd gathered outside the house looking for news or waiting for Danny to return with a bag of groceries. He slammed the door shut and gave a heavy sigh of relief.

"I got some provisions. And fudge!" Jack called.

"Thanks hon. I couldn't face all those people today," Maddie replied as she got up to put away the food Jack bought, hoping there was at least some vegetables in the bag other than fudge and tinned ham. Jazz watched her parents go into the kitchen together. The phone rang and Jazz snatched it up and pressed it to her ear.

"Hello?" she answered hopefully.

"Is that Fenton Works?" a woman's voice asked. Jazz rolled her eyes.

"Yes," she confirmed stiffly.

"I found Danny Phantom. Is there a reward?" the woman told her. Jazz frowned suspiciously.

"Can I speak to Danny first?" Jazz requested. After the first three calls, Jazz and the others had grown wary of people claiming to have found Danny.

"Uh, he's sleeping. Pretty banged up to be honest," the woman retorted nervously.

"Oh, can you describe him for me then?" Jazz decided, very few people were aware that Danny reverted to human when he slept. As long as it wasn't induced by ghostly means.

"White hair, green eyes, black and white jumpsuit. I know what Danny Phantom looks like," the woman described impatiently.

"I'm sorry, that's not Danny. He was wearing something else when he went missing. But thanks for the call," Jazz lied and hung up.

She rubbed her temples as a stress headache started to make itself known, not helped by the numerous voices just outside the house. Eight days and no clues. Whoever took Danny knew what they were doing. Jake had called his friend Spud but the hacker hadn't been able to pin down a car as the one responsible for taking Danny. Unfortunately, the only ecto-sensing traffic cameras in existence were in Amity Park and Danny wasn't kidnapped in Amity Park. There were talks with her parents to fit ecto-sensing traffic cameras in more cities but for now they didn't have that option. They'd searched and searched that Guys in White base for clues. Jake had been there. Kim had even gone to check out the site. Young Justice too. But everyone was stumped. No clues anywhere.

Jazz glanced at the clock. Five in the evening. It was planned that there be a meeting with everyone searching for Danny. The phone rang again. Jazz grabbed it.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Yo, it's Jake. Circling above Amity Park now. Where are we meeting up again?" a male voice replied.

"Fenton Works. You see it?" Jazz replied.

"Ya, I see it. But there's a lot of people there," Jake confirmed worriedly.

"Land on the Ops centre. I'll open the access hatch in a sec. Land towards the back of the house, most of the people are around the front," Jazz advised.

"Thanks," Jake concluded and hung up. Jazz got to her feet and climbed up to the Ops Centre on the roof, unlocking the metal door for Jake who was already there by the time she got there.

"Hey, any luck your end?" Jake greeted. Jazz sighed and shook her head.

"None. Most we've got is a bunch of people lying about seeing Danny or saving him for a cash reward," Jazz admitted sadly. Jake smiled apologetically.

"I've got dragons around the world on the lookout for him. And Fu's called in a few favours. Marty, Grim Reaper, is keeping an eye on his list for us. Danny's not on it," Jake reported. Jazz smiled weakly in gratitude. Jazz led the way down to living room.

"Who's coming tonight?" Jake asked curiously.

"Kim's gonna try and get here. Those heroes you guys met when Rose was controlled. Danielle's with Sam and Tucker in the Ghost Zone but they should be back soon. We've kind of taken over the search from my parents and the police and so on. Tucker's mayor title is really helping us out. The problem, as you can guess, is the people outside," Jazz replied. Jake nodded in understanding. The phone rang again.

While Jazz denied a journalist their comment, Danielle, Sam and Tucker trudged into the living room and flopped on the couch together.

"Hey Jake," Sam greeted tiredly.

"I guess you guys had no luck in the Ghost Zone. Jazz told me," Jake commented with a sympathetic frown. Tucker nodded.

"The Infi-map couldn't get a read. It can only really find ghost stuff you see and if Danny's stuck human or his ghost energy is hidden, the map can't sense it, especially if he's in the Real World, which he probably is," Tucker explained. There was a knock on the door. Danielle hopped to her feet, floating up to see who was at the door before letting Kim inside with her boyfriend, Ron Stoppable.

"Hey guys. Oh, hi Jake. I didn't know you'd be here too. Any luck?" Kim greeted.

"None with me. No sign of Danny anywhere, thankfully not on the Grim Reaper's list either," Jake reported.

"None here either. You?" Sam added.

"Wade's monitoring security cameras and the internet for any sign of Danny. So far, nothing," Kim replied. Jazz slammed down the phone with an angry huff again.

"I hate journalists. Can't they learn to respect our privacy?!" Jazz growled furiously.

"How many's that today?" Danielle asked.

"Six journalists, three fake Danny sightings," Jazz answered as she dropped into a seat wearily.

"It's that bad?" Jake exclaimed in surprise. Jazz shook her head.

"Worse. This is a good day," Jazz corrected.

"Maybe we shouldn't have announced it publicly," Sam muttered.

"We had to Sam. Someone would have noticed Danny's absence. Better to tell everyone now than later after damaging Danny's reputation," Tucker reminded her sadly.

Ten minutes later and there was a knock at the back door before Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Miss Martian, Zatanna, Rocket, Artemis and Superboy arrived. The teens gathered in the Ops Centre.

"Okay, maybe we should start from the beginning, make sure we all know everything in order to pool our resources and come up with new ideas," Aqualad suggested. Tucker nudged Sam and the Goth and Danielle recounted how Danny was dragged away by a claw and together Danielle, Tucker and Sam went on to recall the tunnel out the back and finding the tyre tracks and drag marks.

Jake caught Zatanna's eye and smiled in greeting. The girl returned the smile.

"Kim? Anything to add?" Aqualad prompted hopefully.

"Nothing on my end. We went to the site but couldn't find any clues. Wade ran the tyre tracks. It looks like a saloon car took Danny. Can't narrow down the make though, the tyre is common enough," Kim answered.

"It's a start. Jake? I'm assuming you're here because you have something to add," Aqualad pressed with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, uh nothing. My gramps has a lot of contacts around the place. They haven't seen anything though," Jake retorted nervously.

"What about you guys?" Sam asked, to direct attention away from Jake.

"Not with Danny. We found out something similar to Kim. We also think that Danny was either stuck in human form or unable to use his powers as he struggled rather than phased away. We've looked at the drag marks and concluded that Danny put up a fight. He wasn't drugged. But that's all. However earlier today, we learned that a ten year old boy was kidnapped," Aqualad revealed.

"What's that got to do with Danny?" Danielle inquired in confusion.

"We listened to a recording of the kidnapping. The boy, James Isaac Neutron, is a genius and built a robotic dog that recorded everything said. The people behind kidnapping James are dangerous. During our investigation of Project White Flower, we learned that an organisation called the Light were responsible. And the Light have kidnapped James, we believe. We think it's linked," Robin explained.

"They wanted James in order to force him to fix a problem. We're a little concerned that the problem may be with something to do with Danny," Zatanna added.

"Which means, if we find James, hopefully we'll find Danny," Robin concluded with a hopeful smirk.

"Any leads?" Jazz prompted excitedly.

"James was taken away in a van. We've got a recognition system working on finding it using the number plate and the colour and shape. It'll take time to get through all that. But we're also monitoring the airways for a distress signal. James sent one during the kidnapping which unfortunately we were too slow to respond to. But we know the people who took James and we can work on tracking them down," Aqualad reported.

"I just hope that James is quick enough to help us find Danny. Or that he figures out what the people that took him want and acts accordingly," Sam muttered worriedly.

 **So, yeah. Not much progress on the rescue effort's front. But what they do have is good.**

 **However Danny's kidnapping is taking its toll on his family. You'll see more evidence of it later but I figure when a big celeb goes missing, and world hero is about as big as you get, then the public will take notice. Some people are sympathetic and just want to show support. Some are trying to take advantage of the situation though, such as people looking for a reward for phoney sightings. And the journalists want a story and keep bombarding the family for news.**

 **Let me know what you guys think so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	6. Chapter 6

Danny felt exhausted. The collar hummed against his neck with his own energy. He was hungry too, and his throat felt like sandpaper. He hoped Cheshire would come soon. The woman would come whenever the collar was full and would give him some kind of liquidised food. The first time, Danny had felt humiliated and angry that he was being hand fed by a woman who took pleasure in teasing him and refused it. But after that, he quickly learned that there wasn't going to be a better option. It was either swallow his pride and let Cheshire feed him or he'd get nothing. And with how fast he was getting drained, he needed the extra energy. He didn't know why these people wanted his energy or why they needed Jimmy but it couldn't be good.

Speaking of Jimmy, the ten year old was sitting opposite Danny rambling on about how he was working on some regenerative candy bar for kids with little allowance. Danny had tuned the kid out after ten minutes, very used to it from Jack's constant blathering about ghosts.

"Are you listening to me?" Jimmy demanded. Danny blinked.

"Sorry Jimmy. I'm sure it's very interesting but I'm finding it hard right now to focus on much," Danny admitted tiredly.

"Huh?" Jimmy retorted confused. Danny tilted his chin up to show his collar.

"It's taking my energy. It tires me," Danny elaborated.

"Oh. Sorry," Jimmy muttered worriedly. Danny shook his head.

"It's fine Jimmy," Danny assured the boy.

Both prisoners turned to the door as they heard the bolt screech open and a woman wearing a green kimono and a cat-like mask with a shaggy mane of black hair stood in the doorway.

"Hello cutie. Making friends?" the woman drawled. Danny rolled his eyes.

"Hi Cheshire," Danny retorted dryly. Jimmy frowned in confusion. Cheshire walked into the cell, pushing the door to behind her.

"By the way kid, I wouldn't get any ideas. You make a break for it, you'll get caught. I can promise you that," Cheshire warned.

"What are you doing here?" Jimmy wondered out loud.

"Dinner kiddo. Catch," Cheshire answered and threw a bag filled with bread and jerky to him. Jimmy sloppily grabbed at the bag but missed. Cheshire chuckled.

"Now, the kid's sorted. What about my favourite ghost?" Cheshire remarked and knelt beside Danny. Danny scowled at her. Cheshire roughly shoved Danny's head to the side and clipped out the filled power unit and replaced it with an empty one. She then slipped the power unit into her pocket and pulled out a bag with an inbuilt spout.

"Open up baby," Cheshire teased smugly.

"Why do you want my energy?" Danny growled before Cheshire pushed the bag spout into his mouth. Danny obediently drank despite how annoyed he felt and how horrible the grey smoothie tasted.

"Oh you know I can't tell you that. But I can tell you that you're very helpful in providing it," Cheshire muttered mockingly. Danny swallowed the last of his food and Cheshire put the now empty bag into her pocket and stood up to leave.

"You're lucky I'm bound Cheshire," Danny snarled. Cheshire giggled as she crouched down to Danny's level again. Danny flinched as the woman ran a gentle hand across his cheek.

"You'd hit a woman?" Cheshire gasped in mock outrage.

"Yes. I'm not sexist," Danny confirmed angrily. Cheshire laughed.

Cheshire glanced at Jimmy who was watching the exchange in confusion holding the bag of food limply.

"Start eating kid. I'm not leaving that bag when I go," Cheshire urged sharply. Jimmy blinked in surprise and glanced at Danny who nodded in agreement. Jimmy carefully unzipped the bag and pulled out a piece of bread and chewed it slowly. Cheshire nodded and leant against the wall as she waited for Jimmy to finish.

"What did you give Danny?" Jimmy mumbled after swallowing a dry piece of bread. Cheshire shrugged.

"I'm not the chef," Cheshire sniffed.

"You can tell whoever is that it's disgusting," Danny interjected with a glare. Cheshire chuckled.

"You are a comedian," Cheshire commented. Danny narrowed his eyes at the woman. Jimmy chewed the jerky slowly, trying to understand this woman.

Cheshire pulled out the full power unit from her pocket and toyed with it. Danny watched the power unit with a possessive longing on his face.

"You know that this is stealing," Danny remarked angrily as he watched the unit closely. Cheshire glanced at halfa.

"I don't care. You have no idea how valuable this is," Cheshire retorted.

" _I_ have no idea! It's _my_ energy! I know exactly how much energy you've stolen from me. If anything, you don't understand how valuable that energy is," Danny snarled in outrage. Cheshire slipped the power unit in to her pocket and scoffed. Danny glowered at her, his eyes pulsing slightly brighter despite his weakened state. Jimmy swallowed another piece of bread and took out the last piece of jerky. Cheshire crossed the room and snatched the now empty bag from Jimmy.

"See you soon cutie. You too kiddo," Cheshire called over her shoulder before leaving the cell.

Jimmy glanced at Danny and considered the jerky in his hand.

"You eat it Jimmy. Whatever that stuff Cheshire gave me will kick in in a few minutes," Danny interjected, reading the boy's mind. Jimmy bit his lip.

"Are you sure?" Jimmy muttered worriedly. Danny nodded and sighed tiredly as he leant back. Jimmy bit the jerky and chewed slowly, feeling guilty.

"Are you alright?" Jimmy whispered. Danny grunted softly.

"Yeah, just… just tired Jimmy. And angry," Danny mumbled.

"Angry?" Jimmy repeated in confusion. Danny nodded.

"Taking my energy is like… like taking your blood, without consent. And I can't stop them. So yeah, I'm angry at the situation and Cheshire," Danny confirmed. Jimmy frowned as he swallowed the last of the jerky.

Danny opened his eyes and gave Jimmy a tired, grim smile.

"That stuff's kicking in now. I'll start to perk up in a few minutes," Danny reassured the boy. Jimmy nodded slowly. Both prisoners fell silent. Danny pushed himself upright and seemed the most alert Jimmy had seen the teen since being thrown into the cell.

"What was all that stuff with Cheshire?" Jimmy wondered, breaking the silence. Danny shook his head.

"Nothing for you to worry about. Cheshire likes to taunt me when she comes in here. And since getting my powers, I'm not the type to take that stuff lying down," Danny answered. Jimmy scanned the room searching for something to talk about.

"How did you get your powers?" Jimmy asked. Danny frowned.

"Lab accident. Very painful. I don't like talking about it," Danny replied, not thinking it was a good story to share with a child that seemed to be a little too smart for his own good.

"Oh. Sorry," Jimmy mumbled.

"It's fine. Feel free to ask something else. I'm not upset," Danny assured him.

Jimmy bit his lip lightly. He was way out of his comfort zone. He had no idea what to talk about with Danny. Danny was a teenager and Jimmy was a child genius.

"What can your energy do? You said Cheshire didn't know what she was dealing with," Jimmy asked curiously. Danny laughed.

"I have to say, I've never been asked that question by a kid. Usually kids ask me stuff about fighting ghosts," Danny remarked with a chuckle. Jimmy flushed.

"Would you prefer I asked about that?" Jimmy mumbled nervously.

"Nah, I get it Jimmy. You're a smart kid. You're gonna ask smart questions. I don't mind," Danny assured Jimmy easily. Jimmy smirked proudly.

"Okay first thing you need to understand is that this collar stores a lot of my energy and concentrates it. I can actually feel the energy gathering there. It's my energy after all. The amount they take from me in each unit, if made into a weapon which I suspect they are going to do, could take out a tank. Easy. They've taken about thirty units worth of energy. I've lost count to be honest. Like you convert food into energy to walk and run and stuff, I convert food into ghost energy, among other things. I'm sure my parents can tell you the ins and outs of ectoplasm and ghost energy. But that's with the power in human hands. In ghost hands, it's even more dangerous. I can use that kind of energy to charge up my vocal chords and emit a ghostly wail that can destroy entire buildings. I can make enough ice to freeze over cities. Make ghost rays that can burn items to ash in seconds. These are criminals Jimmy. Imagine what they could do if they could utilise my power to turn invisible, intangible or fly. That's how dangerous my energy can be," Danny explained seriously.

"And you can't stop them," Jimmy whispered in realisation. Danny sighed sadly and nodded.

"They don't come in until the unit's full. By that point I'm exhausted. That stuff Cheshire gave me, it kind of energises me. They're… they're harvesting my energy from me Jimmy, like I'm an animal or plant. Do you understand how this is for me? And worse… they want you to fix something. I'd be willing to bet that whatever they want you to do will be bad news for me," Danny concluded grimly. Jimmy nodded seriously. He could understand Danny's situation now.

"I'll stall for as long as I can," Jimmy vowed solemnly. Danny smiled in gratitude.

 **So a little more about how captivity is treating Danny and Jimmy.**

 **Let me know what you guys think.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

Jimmy was laying on the ground sleeping. It had been hours since they had been given food. Danny knew he wouldn't feel tired for a while yet. So instead he used the time he felt strong to think of escape plans or possible ways to sabotage his energy being drained. Unfortunately the cuffs and the collar repressed his powers, locking his ghostly energy in his body in order to be drained by the needle in his neck from the collar. The collar was secure on his neck so he had long ago stopped feeling the needle, as long as he didn't twist his neck. His arms had stopped being painful days ago from being held behind his back by the handcuffs. Danny's thoughts drifted to Sam's terrified face the day he was caught. Danielle's panicked shout as she lost her grip.

Suddenly Danny stiffened as the bolt on the door screeched open. Jimmy jolted awake and blearily searched for the source of the harsh noise. Danny gritted his teeth and struggled to his feet for the first time in a few days. The first couple of days, he guessed, he paced endlessly as he thought and planned. He quickly realised that the only thing he was doing was exhausting himself further and lengthening the time until Cheshire returned as he was using energy that would otherwise be collected by the collar. His legs shook slightly as he stood unsteadily but he quickly got his balance and stumbled forward slightly. Jimmy slowly got to his feet and edged closer to the halfa fearfully.

The door swung open and two men walked in holding anti-ghost weapons, pointed right at Danny's chest. Cheshire waltzed in afterwards.

"Stand down cutie. Don't want to see you get hurt," Cheshire ordered sternly.

"What do you want?" Danny snarled, instinctively trying to gather ghost rays into his hands. Jimmy watched in awe as faint green energy rippled around the halfa's restrained hands.

"The kid. Time for him to start his work," Cheshire answered, folding her arms in annoyance. Jimmy shuffled closer to Danny nervously. Danny snarled angrily and tensed his muscles ready for a fight.

"Puh-lease. Phantom. You can't fight without your hands and with no powers," Cheshire taunted.

"My mom's a ninth degree black belt in karate. You really think I don't know how to defend myself?" Danny retorted.

"Try anything and they'll shoot," Cheshire growled. Danny crouched down slightly, ready to run forward to protect himself and Jimmy from attack.

Cheshire growled angrily deep in her throat and clicked her fingers. One of the armed men fired their gun and hit Danny in the leg. Danny crumbled to the ground with a shout of agony.

"Danny!" Jimmy shouted fearfully. Cheshire strolled forward and tutted at the teen.

"I did warn you. Now be a good little half-ghost and stay down. I'll patch you up later. Come on kid," Cheshire commanded as Danny whimpered softly in pain, his eyes screwed shut. Jimmy stared in shock at the charred wound on Danny's leg oozing green blood on the ground. He hardly registered Cheshire grabbing his arm and yanking the boy towards the door.

Jimmy glanced over his shoulder to see Danny clumsily pushing himself against a wall with his good leg and bound hands. The teen gave the boy an apologetic, worried look before the door was shut. Jimmy chewed his lip worriedly as Cheshire shoved him through the corridors. Jimmy tried to remember the way but his mind kept wandering back to the image of Danny pushing himself against a wall looking more worried for Jimmy than himself. Cheshire shoved the boy through a door and shut it behind them, locking the door and tucking the key out of sight.

"Alright. This will be where you work. It goes without saying but you are not allowed to take anything from this room to your cell. Now come here," Cheshire informed the boy as she walked to a workbench.

"You may recognise this. It's a part of the pretty collar Phantom's wearing. It stores his energy for us. But we've found that there's a problem. Over time, the power unit begins to leak. We're also running out of them. So here's what you've gotta do. Make one that doesn't leak and stores more energy that will still fit in the collar. Understand?" Cheshire told Jimmy sternly. Jimmy gulped nervously.

"I've never studied ghost energy," Jimmy muttered softly.

"No time like the present to study it. Do you understand your task? I don't care about all your little complaints about needing time or equipment or whatever," Cheshire growled impatiently. Jimmy pursed his lips and nodded. Cheshire gave a curt nod and backed away into a corner, perching on a tall stool.

"Then start working. That unit there is yours to study. You will not be given a copy of Phantom's collar. If you need anything or have questions, ask me and I'll try and clear whatever your problem is," Cheshire concluded.

Jimmy swallowed nervously and gingerly picked up the power unit he was given. It was smooth to the touch with a flush panel covering the circuitry within. Jimmy saw how the unit fit into a slot and he immediately saw the weak point in the unit but for once he didn't point it out smugly and pompously correct the issue. He promised to stall for Danny. With a frown, Jimmy studied the unit and considered the second problem, increasing the energy capacity. To increase the capacity, he would need to see how it drained energy and stored it in the first place. He would also need detailed blueprints of the internal workings. He could see already that the unit was moulded into a solid casing with the only perforations being the pins that connected it to the collar. However deciding to stall as much as possible, he took his time in studying the unit excessively and then did the same for the room and tools provided, spouting a small lie that he wasn't used to this workplace and would need to familiarise himself with it in order to work. It wasn't a complete lie, but he did take a lot of unnecessary time to do so. He thankfully found a bathroom adjoining the work room and took his time to relieve himself before returning.

Jimmy lost track of time. He could do that sometimes. When he started a new project and locked himself in his lab to work, he relied on Goddard and his parents to keep him to a routine such as sleeping at night or going to the kitchen for meals. But in this room, Cheshire simply played with a sai in a bored fashion or gave herself a manicure. Jimmy was left alone to do whatever he wished, as long as it didn't endanger anyone. Jimmy blinked. He was in a lab. Cheshire didn't strike him as the type of person that would understand technology in depth. At least not in the detail he did. He could try to send out a distress signal. He looked through the items he'd been provided again, this time with purpose. He bit back a grin as he spotted exactly what he needed. It wouldn't be a beautiful piece of engineering but it should work once completed. He glanced at Cheshire before slipping a small screwdriver in his sock. He wouldn't be able to remove the collar on Danny without anyone noticing, but the cuffs were another matter.

He went back to the desk provided and grabbed a pencil and a sheet of paper. He quickly started sketching out the blueprints for his signal emitter and did a few quick calculations. The signal would need to reach long distances but be small enough to not alert Cheshire and the other people here of his plan. Content with his conclusions, he rubbed out the calculations and part of the blueprint in case anyone looked at it and actually figured out his plan. Satisfied that no one would be able to figure out what he had drawn, he put the paper to one side and picked up the unit again.

"Alright, time's up for now. Next time you better have something to show for it. Do you need anything for next time?" Cheshire decided in a tired voice. Jimmy blinked and looked at her. She was standing beside the door. He hadn't even noticed her moving from the stool to the door halfway across the room.

"I'll need blueprints and a computer to look at the programming. I need to fully understand what I'm working with before I can even start looking to improve the design," Jimmy answered truthfully.

"Then what did you do now?!" Cheshire growled in annoyance.

"Preliminary study. I understand what I can of the external design. Now I need to understand the interior design. I was also familiarising myself with the tools and layout of the work space," Jimmy replied. Cheshire gave an unimpressed huff and pulled the key out of her kimono and unlocked the door. She shoved Jimmy down the corridor until they reached the cell door.

"Wait a minute kiddo. Hey, get a first aid kit for me!" Cheshire ordered, turning to a guard in the shadows that Jimmy hadn't even seen. The dark clothed guard gave a quick submissive bow and ran down the corridor. Cheshire then turned to Jimmy and folded her arms.

"Give me the screwdriver kid. Now," she demanded angrily. Jimmy blinked in shock. She hadn't been looking. He'd checked. How did she know he'd taken one?

"I'm not joking around kid. Give it to me now," Cheshire snarled and held out an impatient hand. Jimmy swallowed nervously and saw he had to obey. He crouched down and slowly pulled the screwdriver out of his sock. He straightened and reluctantly placed it in her hand. Cheshire tucked the screwdriver out of sight quickly.

"Let me get this straight. You do not disobey me. Disobeying me makes me angry. You don't want to make me angry. I'm the one providing you with food. I'm the one who can make your time here hell and trust me you've got things pretty good right now. One word, and I can send assassins to your house for your parents. Do I make myself clear?" Cheshire hissed. Jimmy bit his lip fearfully and nodded. Cheshire gave a curt nod in conclusion and turned to the guard who returned with a small red box.

Cheshire snatched the box away and opened the door, kicking Jimmy's leg gently as a silent order to enter. Jimmy complied, reeling from the serious threats the woman had given him. Jimmy looked up and saw Danny back in his corner. His face was unusually pale and the floor was stained with an alarming amount of green blood. Cheshire stepped into the room. She pushed the door to and crossed the room to stand in front of Danny who weakly looked up at her.

"Have we learned our lesson?" Cheshire inquired stiffly.

"What lesson?" Danny croaked cheekily with a dark glare.

"The one where you behave," Cheshire growled.

"Oh that one. No promises," Danny retorted angrily. Cheshire knelt down to Danny's level and suddenly lashed out to hit his large still oozing wound. Danny gave a sharp bark of agony.

"Hurts right. Getting shot. You've got it good right now Phantom. If you keep misbehaving, I might have to do something more permanent. You don't need all your fingers," Cheshire hissed. Jimmy shuddered at the implication, horrified.

"Injuring me… hinders you. I'll be using up… energy now. To heal," Danny snarled through gritted teeth, panting from the pain in his leg. Cheshire stared at Danny, the mask making her expression unreadable.

"Hold still," she commanded quietly as she clicked open the first aid box and pulled out gauze and a rag which she soaked in hydrogen peroxide. Danny screamed in agony as she cleaned the wound with unnecessary force. She pressed a dressing over the wound and tightly wrapped bandages around his leg, holding the dressing in place, all with unnecessary force. By the time she'd finished, Danny had his face screwed up in agony, his eyes firmly squeezed shut. Cheshire then returned everything into the box and clipped it shut.

"You suck as a nurse," Danny growled softly as she stood up. Cheshire didn't say another word as she left the cell, the door slamming shut behind her, the bolt closing echoed through the silent, gloomy cell.

 **And we now know why Jimmy was brought in.**

 **But will Jimmy be able to build a distress signal emitter and will it work?**

 **Danny's pretty injured now too. Will he be alright?**

 **Let me know what you think.**

 **I'm honestly starting to feel like Danny. I'm currently stranded at my college digs because of snow. Getting a little stir crazy. But should make interesting writing...**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	8. Chapter 8

Jimmy sniffled softly, watching Danny who had fallen asleep soon after Cheshire left. He was scared. He promised to help Danny by stalling but what if Cheshire figured it out? What if she got angry and had his parents killed? All the emotional stress had caused him to break down shortly after Danny fell asleep. For all his intelligence, right now, he was helpless. He was trapped. He remembered how Goddard had exploded when shot trying to protect him. Jimmy hoped that the robot dog was just playing dead but there was a kernel of doubt in his mind where he feared the bullet had hit the power unit in the dog's body and caused the explosion. He'd lost track of time also. He didn't know how long he'd been a prisoner. A few hours, a day. Danny was right. It wasn't easy trying to keep track without a window or clock.

Jimmy ran over his plan to make a distress signal to call for help. But he wasn't so sure about going through with it now. He wanted to discuss it with Danny but he could see that the halfa was injured, weak and needed to rest. So he wouldn't wake the teen. Jimmy considered the teen. He was incredibly brave, to the point of being foolish. Jimmy found himself feeling safer in the cell with the halfa despite how weakened and trapped he was. He could tell that Danny would do everything in his power to prevent any harm befalling on Jimmy. In his work space, Jimmy was lost in his mind but he was wary of doing anything that would outright upset Cheshire. Danny didn't seem to have that. He upset her, defied her. But he never pushed it too far. But then again, Danny understood that he was needed alive and in fairly good condition in order to have his energy harvested.

Jimmy didn't know how long Danny slept or how long he cried for, but he was quick to dry his face and regain his composure when he heard Danny stir. Jimmy watched Danny as the teen opened his eyes and scanned the room tiredly. Danny flashed a quick reassuring smile at Jimmy that didn't reach his eyes.

"You okay?" Danny croaked wearily. Jimmy nodded quickly. Being scared was nothing compared to what the halfa was going through. Danny frowned slightly in concern.

"Jimmy, you don't have to pretend. It's okay if you're not," Danny added. Jimmy bit his lip and sighed in defeat.

"I'm sorry. I'm… I'm just scared. Cheshire caught me trying to smuggle a screwdriver in here and threatened to kill my parents or make things horrible for me here. I know it's nothing compared to what it's like here for you," Jimmy admitted softly.

"Hey, you don't think I'm scared too Jimmy? I'm not an easy person to catch. I know these people are dangerous and mean business. And I also know my family and friends aren't going to just sit back. They're out there looking for me. And I know when my family and people like Cheshire meet, someone gets hurt," Danny confessed.

"How are you so calm then?" Jimmy inquired quietly.

"Jimmy, I've been here a lot longer than you. You think I was like this the entire time? Not a chance. I was a nervous wreck for the first while, probably a day or two. I dunno since I can't keep track. And trust me, if I wasn't so exhausted all the time, I'd probably be a lot more worried and scared," Danny replied grimly. They fell silent for a short time as Jimmy absorbed that information.

Suddenly Jimmy's stomach rumbled loudly and Jimmy clutched his waist as he turned red in embarrassment. Danny smirked knowingly at the boy, he frowned briefly in concentration before nodding.

"Cheshire will be back soon. Power unit's almost full," Danny told the boy. Jimmy blinked.

"How can you tell?" Jimmy asked in surprise.

"Practice. I told you, I can sense my energy building in the collar. And after a few times you learn how much energy gathers there before Cheshire comes back to empty it," Danny answered. Less than a minute later the tell-tale screech of the bolt on the door opening filled the cell.

Cheshire walked in with a bottle of water and a bag of bread and cheese this time. Both were thrown in Jimmy's direction. She then ducked out of the room and returned with the first aid box a moment later. She crossed the room and knelt beside Danny.

"How are we feeling now?" Cheshire asked stiffly. Jimmy silently opened the bag and took out a piece of bread. Danny scowled at her in response. Cheshire clicked her tongue condescendingly. She then unwound the bandages and peeled away the green-soaked dressing in order to look at Danny's wound.

"You do heal fast," she commented. Danny gave a soft growl in annoyed warning when Cheshire gently examined the wound curiously. Cheshire looked up and chuckled softly, pushing against the wound purposefully hard. Danny jerked his leg away and bit back a yelp of agony as both the touch and movement aggravated the wound. Cheshire pulled the leg back to her with a dark snigger and replaced the dressings, tying the knot at the end of the bandage with excessive force.

Cheshire then shoved Danny's head back and took out the filled power unit and slipped it in her pocket. Danny waited for her to take out an empty one but instead, to his surprise, she pulled out the bag of grey smoothie stuff.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Danny pointed out, in his confusion forgetting his rage at this woman.

"No. It's been decided that we'll not replace the unit until you're healed. That and the fact that we only have one or two left after your kind donations," Cheshire explained tauntingly. Danny's expression hardened angrily as Cheshire unscrewed the cap to the spout on the bag for him.

"Open up cutie," Cheshire ordered teasingly. Danny growled in annoyance but obeyed.

Jimmy swallowed a mouthful of cheese and drank his water quietly as he watched the exchange. Cheshire was right. He had it pretty good right now. He wasn't hand fed questionable food. He could feed himself recognisable food stuffs and move around with ease. Jimmy wondered to himself when the last time Danny had anything proper to eat was. Danny had been gone for about a week at this point. Had he been given real food initially and the grey smoothie replaced that as a punishment? Jimmy was tempted to hide some bread or cheese in order to give it to Danny but then he recalled the last time they were given food. Danny had told Jimmy to eat the jerky as the smoothie stuff would start energising him soon. Jimmy wondered if real food would inhibit that. Or maybe in his ghost form, Danny couldn't digest real food.

Cheshire tucked the now empty food bag in her pocket and stood up. She turned to Jimmy and waited for him to finish eating the food and drinking the bottle of water. Jimmy handed the empty bottle and bag to Cheshire politely as he chewed the last piece of bread. Cheshire took them and scooped up the first aid bag in her other hand.

"Oh, by the way. Don't try anything when I come by later to pick up the kid. Personally I think one injury is enough, right cutie?" Cheshire called over her shoulder and the door thudded shut, the bolt scraped across to lock the door. Danny growled deeply in his throat in frustration. He knew Cheshire had a point. However there was hope. Without his energy being drained away, maybe he could gather his energy in a way to break the handcuffs or collar and they could escape.

"Danny, I wanted to ask your opinion," Jimmy began carefully. He already suspected the teen's answer but the boy genius had to ask. Danny turned to Jimmy and nodded, silently telling him to continue.

"I was thinking about making a machine that would emit a distress signal. It might be able to help people looking for us to find this place. But when I'm working, Cheshire stays in the room the entire time. I'd have to try and make one under her nose and activate it without anyone realising. Should I go ahead? I checked, I have everything I need," Jimmy explained. Danny bit his lip lightly in thought before nodding.

"Do it. But if you get caught, it was my idea. I can get away with more than you," Danny stipulated. Jimmy nodded.

 **So Jimmy's scared, Danny's not being drained of energy and a bit of bonding between prisoners.**

 **Let me know what you guys think so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	9. Chapter 9

Nine days. Nine days since Danny went missing. Eight days since journalists started hounding Fenton Works for answers. The family was near their breaking point. Jazz had given her mobile number to everyone working to find her brother but they couldn't disconnect the land line in case Danny called or if one of those phoney sighting calls were true. The hope kept the phone connected but each call chipped away at the family's resolve. The crowds gathered outside didn't help either. Jazz looked up from her laptop when Danielle stomped downstairs and flopped on the couch beside her adoptive sister.

"What's up little sis?" Jazz asked, sensing what had upset the girl already.

"I'm sick of being here. I travelled the world! I should be looking for Danny. But no. I have to stay put because of the press and mom and dad. All I wanted was one lousy flight but news helicopters started chasing me," Danielle complained angrily. Jazz sighed softly. The last week had been hard on the entire family.

"Dani, if you were to join everyone out there looking, where would you look? And remember these people are holding Danny, they know how to catch a half-ghost. And you'd be alone," Jazz inquired. Danielle huffed angrily and folded her arms.

"I don't know. Okay!? I just want to help. And if flying around looking for him helps, I'll do it," Danielle grumbled. Jazz shook her head sadly and closed her laptop, putting it on the coffee table in order to give the girl her full attention.

"Dani, I know it's hard. I do. We're all going through the same thing. We just have to trust that Danny or that James kid will send us a clue we can follow soon. We need to be ready for that. Until then, we just have to be patient," Jazz muttered reassuringly.

"Can't we use that tracker? The boo-merang?" Danielle retorted impatiently. Jazz rolled her eyes.

"We tried that. Remember? It just locked onto you. And we put you in that ghost proof cell to block your ecto-signature to make sure it couldn't find Danny. It couldn't lock onto anything. The people who have Danny are blocking him from us somehow," Jazz gently reminded the girl. Danielle sighed sadly.

"He was right there. If I'd been stronger, or faster… I might have stopped that claw taking him," Danielle mumbled, miserably. Jazz smiled in sympathetic understanding. She scooted closer to Danielle and wrapped the upset girl in a warm, comforting hug.

"We'll find him. Don't worry. We will. We're not gonna stop until we find him. And you know Danny. He's practically invincible. I mean he survived the accident, being hit by lightning, almost freezing alive, facing Pariah Dark. And despite what people think, he's not stupid. He's grown a lot since getting his powers and knows when to push and when to submit. He'll be fine," Jazz assured Danielle, rocking the girl gently to comfort her.

Jazz's phone suddenly rang and Danielle pulled away, sniffling softly. Jazz flashed her an apologetic smile before answering the call. Any call on Jazz's phone was important right now.

"Hello?" Jazz answered.

"Hey, it's Jake. Thought I should let you know. Marty just came around. A few hours ago Danny's name appeared on his list. Only for a bit, twenty minutes or something. He's okay now. People come and go on Marty's list all the time. But we figured we should let you guys know," Jake informed Jazz without hesitation, almost as though he had to push himself to make the call and wanted to get the news out before he lost his nerve. Jazz gasped worriedly.

"You're sure he's alright now though?" Jazz pressed with concern.

"Yeah, we're sure. It's kind of a pity really. Marty has this object that can lead him to people on his list. My sister got kidnapped once and we used that to find her. But Danny's alive and… I won't say well because he obviously could be hurt, but he's not in any mortal danger," Jake confirmed. Jazz breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks for telling me Jake. Any other news? Maybe something on James?" Jazz wondered hopefully.

"Nope. Sorry. James isn't on Marty's list and no sign of him anywhere. Don't worry Jazz, we're looking. And we're not gonna stop until they're found," Jake replied. Jazz nodded.

"Thanks Jake. Keep us posted," Jazz concluded and a few seconds later the call ended.

"Well?" Danielle inquired quickly.

"Jake was just telling us that Danny's name appeared on Marty's list for a little while earlier. He's not on it anymore. No sign of James or anything else on Danny," Jazz reported reluctantly, she didn't want to tell Danielle but knew she had to say something. And the truth was best. Danny was most likely injured. Better to prepare the girl than say everything's fine. Danielle gasped worriedly.

"Danny's not dead. He was in mortal danger for a bit. Jake said people appear on the Grim Reaper's list all the time. Doesn't mean they'll die, just that they'll be in danger and _could_ die," Jazz quickly corrected the girl, knowing what was running through her mind. Danielle nodded worriedly. Jazz drew the girl into a second comforting hug.

A few minutes later, Danielle left to see if their parents needed any help. As they were unable to help their son, they had taken to busying themselves in the lab doing odd jobs. Jazz thought she heard Maddie mention an improved tracker to find Danny though. Jazz looked at her phone and with a sigh decided to call Kim and Kid Flash to inform the others that Danny is possibly injured, formulating a lie about a ghostly object for the heroes instead of mentioning Jake's magical connections.

"Hey, Kim here," Kim answered the call.

"Hi, it's Jazz. Jake just called. Apparently Fu Dog's friends with the Grim Reaper, name's Marty. Well… Danny's name appeared on his list earlier. Not for long and it's gone now. Jake's certain Danny's alive. No sign of James. But I thought I ought to inform you guys to prepare you if you find Danny," Jazz explained. Kim hummed in displeased thought.

"I doubt he'd be taken to a hospital but I'll ask Wade to double check. Robin sent us pictures of Sportmaster and a few well-known Light members so he could look for them too. You know, they might be the link we're looking for," Kim informed Jazz.

"Thanks. I doubt it too. Danny's a fast healer. I just hope that James isn't hurt too," Jazz muttered worriedly.

"Jazz, we're not gonna stop looking until we find them. Promise," Kim assured the other red head before they ended the call.

"Hello," a male voice answered the call Jazz made to Kid Flash.

"Kid Flash? Jazz Fenton. I have some news," Jazz told him cautiously, still trying to get her lie in order in her mind.

"Oh. Oh! Jazz. Right, one sec," Kid Flash replied. Jazz waited patiently, understanding that Kid Flash likely had a secret identity and she may have caught him at a bad time.

"Alright, go ahead. What news do you have?" Kid Flash prompted.

"We have reason to think that Danny might be hurt," Jazz began.

"Hurt?! Did you get a ransom call? A threat?" Kid Flash interjected worriedly.

"No. Nothing like that. Have… have you ever heard of the Grim Reaper?" Jazz quickly resumed. Kid Flash was silent for a few moments.

"Grim Reaper? As in the guy that takes spirits to the afterlife?" Kid Flash inquired sceptically.

"Yeah. A friend knows him. And he got in contact with us that Danny's name was on the list this morning. Not for long. And he's gone now. He's still alive. But we're all bit worried that Danny could be injured so I thought I should let you know," Jazz explained.

"List? You mean the list of people about to die?" Kid Flash asked.

"That's the one. People come and go on that all the time. Whenever you're in mortal danger. So Danny was close to dying but, I dunno, something saved him. Maybe James," Jazz elaborated, well aware of how sceptical Kid Flash could be.

"I'll pass on the message, but you do realise how ridiculous that sounds, right?" Kid Flash decided.

"I know. I understand. And trust me, a few years ago I wouldn't have believed it either. But I'm not lying," Jazz assured the hero.

Jazz hung up a few moments later and called Sam and Tucker to tell them what she'd learned. Then it was on to her parents. She was not looking forward to that conversation. Jazz sighed after she finished telling Sam and looked out of the window. It was eleven in the morning. Phone calls generally started after lunchtime but there was a crowd outside the house already. People were camping out there. A few people even asked to pitch a tent in the back yard or to use their bathroom. Jack and Maddie made it very clear the first day that the people gathered outside were not welcome in the house. Jack was threatening to get the Fenton Foamer and chase the pests away from Fenton Works but Jazz managed to talk them out of it. As much as she hated it, there was really little that they could do. And if Jack did attack them then the family would just get into legal trouble. The best thing was to try and ignore the people gathered around their house.

Jazz was startled out of her thoughts as the phone rang. With a sigh, she grimly thought that calls were starting early that day.

"Hello?" she answered tiredly. These calls were wearing on her.

"Hi, I'm a reporter for the Evening Star in-" a woman began.

"Look, I don't know how long it'll take for you reporters to get the hint, but we're not interested in issuing a comment. Things are difficult right now and your constant calls are making it worse," Jazz interrupted sharply.

"I'm not calling to get a comment, Ms Fenton. I'm calling because I wanted to tell you something I've learned. I was asked by my editor to cover both Danny Phantom's disappearance and another boy's kidnapping. I apologise for my colleagues, I know how it gets when reporters want a statement," the reporter resumed. Jazz blinked. Someone had seen a connection between Danny's abduction and James's kidnapping, because she was certain that was the boy the reporter meant.

"Go on," Jazz prompted cautiously.

"Thank you. The boy, I don't know if you've heard, is James Neutron, better known as Jimmy. He's the smartest person in the country, possibly the world. His IQ is impressive. 210 I've been told. I've spoken to the kid's family and started investigating. The van that took Jimmy went through the town Mr Phantom disappeared in. Police then lost the vehicle on backroads. But it was heading east last they saw. I suspect that Jimmy was taken to either work on a project involving Mr Phantom or as leverage against him. I don't know if it helps you in your search," the reporter continued. Jazz blinked. East. It narrowed down the search from the entire country to a corner of it. True the vehicle could have doubled back once the police lost it, but Jazz suspected it hadn't.

"Thank you. That does help," Jazz admitted.

"I'm glad to hear that. In return, if you'd give me a comment, I'd call it even," the reported replied hopefully. Jazz scowled angrily.

"Is your tip even real?" she growled.

"Yes! It is. I promise. It was just a thought. Forget I asked," the reporter quickly retorted. Jazz sighed. She knew she was going to regret this but this reporter had helped them.

"Alright. What do you want to know? And if you could avoid names it would be great. I don't want to encourage reporters to try harder," Jazz relented. She could almost see the broad grin on the reporter's face.

"Deal. What are you doing to find Mr Phantom? I asked the cops but they said Mayor Tucker Foley of Amity Park had taken over the investigation," the reporter inquired.

"We believe that the police will only get in the way. We're grateful for any help they provide but the people behind taking my brother know what they're doing. So instead, we're relying on friends my brother has worked with in the past. We have also asked a few ghosts that are allied with Danny to help with the search but so far we've had little luck," Jazz answered carefully.

"How was your brother taken? I know that he was investigating an abandoned Guys in White base but the exact details are unknown," the reporter asked.

"That's right. He was. He has been since before Christmas. There was a trap which he accidently triggered and was dragged away. We believe the kidnappers then took Danny to a car and drove away. Traffic cameras haven't yielded any results in finding the culprits," Jazz explained.

"Thank you. I won't ask anything else as I know you're reluctant to deal with the press Ms Fenton. Good luck in finding your brother. But I'll say this. All reporters want is a story. Making what you've told me more public will help get those reporters off your back. I'd suggest, and forgive me if it's inappropriate, that you should issue a statement explaining what you are doing to find Mr Phantom. Anyway, thank you for your time," the reporter concluded before hanging up. Jazz put the phone down and considered the female reporter's words. Maybe telling the public more would help ease everything for the family. She'd discuss it with her parents, Sam, Tucker and Danielle. But first… telling her parents that Danny was mostly likely badly injured.

 **So the injury was enough to put Danny in mortal danger.**

 **Looks like those constant calls from journalists might have actually helped Jazz and the rescue effort.**

 **Let me know what you think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	10. Chapter 10

Danny shivered again. He felt unbearably cold. Jimmy had been gone a long time now. They'd made their plan. Jimmy had explained that he'd taken unnecessary amounts of time to examine the power unit previously so he'd have to work slowly to prevent any suspicion. Danny was extremely happy to learn that the power units couldn't contain his energy after all making the entire process of taking it from him pointless. On the other hand, he was angry that they were just wasting something so valuable. They were just taking his energy, exhausting him, to allow that energy to be dissipated into the air. True, he had to do that occasionally to keep his energy levels from building out of his control. But it was different when the energy was stolen first leaving him exhausted, unable to do much more than sleep or think quietly in his corner.

Unfortunately, now he had the opposite problem. His leg was healing quickly, unbelievably quickly. However it was still too weak to hold his weight just yet. Unable to walk and unable to use his powers, his energy levels were building in his body too fast for him to expel. Danny suspected why. He'd spent a week trying to regain his energy as it was stolen from him. His body was still compensating despite his energy not being stolen right now. He felt extremely restless. His flesh buzzed uncomfortably with his energy trapped inside him.

His fingers tapped rapidly behind his back, his foot twitched almost constantly. It was only his injury stopping him from pacing or something similar. But he was gradually growing colder also. Danny bit his lip worriedly. He hoped this wasn't what he thought it was. The bolt screeched open and Jimmy was pushed into the room. Jimmy picked himself up and dusted off his jeans. Jimmy frowned and hugged his bare arms.

"Is it cold in here?" he asked. Danny's stomach lurched. Jimmy could feel it too! Then it wasn't just Danny. Jimmy shrugged to himself and walked over to Danny, he shivered again.

"Jimmy, maybe you should keep your distance," Danny suggested worriedly. Jimmy frowned in confusion.

"What? Why?" Jimmy questioned, a little hurt in his tone.

"I think I might be the reason this room is getting cold. My energy is building and I can't let it out. And I'm worried that that's including my ice energy which is dangerous," Danny warned.

Jimmy faltered. He shivered again as he considered the teen.

"When you say dangerous?" Jimmy prompted with concern.

"I mean I could make this room colder than the arctic. Unable to release that energy, I will start freezing myself over. I don't want to hurt you. Humans can't withstand that kind of cold," Danny explained honestly. There was no point in lying. The child should know how dangerous this situation was. Jimmy gasped and backed away to the opposite wall. Danny nodded in approval.

"How did it go this time?" Danny inquired a few moments later. Jimmy nodded.

"Alright. I studied the inner mechanics of the power unit. I have a pretty good understanding of it now. But I think what they're asking is unrealistic. The unit would be hard pushed to contain any more energy than it already does. The unit would need to be bigger to hold more and then it wouldn't fit in the collar," Jimmy explained before pausing and scratching his head in embarrassment.

"But that's not what you meant is it?" Jimmy muttered.

"Not exactly, keep going," Danny confirmed with a warm smirk. Jimmy nodded and rubbed his arms slightly.

"I started the plan. But I couldn't finish it since I took my time studying the power unit first. I'm gonna build it to look like a prototype replacement for the power unit so I might need to build a few redundant structures to sell it," Jimmy reported. Danny nodded.

They fell silent. Danny tapped his foot rapidly and shifted his position regularly while making sure to be mindful of his leg. Jimmy quickly became lost in his mind, not noticing how much he was starting to shiver. After a while, Danny got to his feet and started to pace, his bad leg limping. He couldn't sit still any longer. He needed to burn off some energy. However he made sure to keep his distance from Jimmy.

"Danny?" Jimmy called worriedly as he watched the teen pace restlessly.

"Yeah?" Danny replied without stopping his endless pacing.

"Are you alright? You're kind of acting weird," Jimmy pointed out.

"Sorry. I'm just restless. I have so much energy in my body I can't sit still. This should hopefully stop me cooling the room as quickly," Danny assured the boy. Jimmy nodded slowly as he watched Danny pace at a near run, his fingers tapping almost constantly behind his back. It was like he was an angered tiger desperate to hunt something. It unnerved the boy genius.

Jimmy quickly became lost in his thoughts again, able to block out Danny's pacing and finger tapping. The teen's leg was obviously growing stronger too as he gradually stopped limping. It was only when he heard the screech of the bolt on the door that he noticed the frosted path Danny had made from his pacing. Cheshire stepped into the room and tossed the bag of bread and fruit and a bottle of water to Jimmy, shrugging off her surprise that the boy wasn't sitting near Danny. She turned to Danny cleared her throat.

"Pacing like that isn't going to help heal your leg," Cheshire pointed out.

"Leg's healed. I have to do this. Unless you take off the collar and cuffs," Danny retorted, pausing his pacing only long enough to give the woman a quick glare. Cheshire watched Danny as Jimmy ate.

"Don't you… don't you want food?" Cheshire asked nervously.

"No. I'm trying to burn off energy. Eating will do the opposite," Danny answered firmly. Cheshire frowned at the teen before shivering.

"Why's it so cold in here?" she muttered.

"That's me. I'm radiating cold because I can't use up my energy fast enough," Danny told her. He was far too distracted by his now frenzied pacing to even try lying. This was life or death. He had to get rid of his energy or he might cause Jimmy to get sick with hypothermia or something. He really wanted to run but the side of the room away from Jimmy wasn't big enough for that.

"Stop pacing like that! You're making me nervous," Cheshire snapped testily. Danny stopped and glared at her, his eyes burning bright green and his bright white aura made it difficult to look directly at him. A second later Danny started jumping on the spot. Cheshire growled in annoyance.

Jimmy sipped at his water, surprised by how chilled it was. He glanced at Danny's feet and saw the frost growing beneath the teen so rapidly that it was becoming a sheet of ice. Cheshire snatched away Jimmy's empty bag and waited for the boy to finish his water.

"Cheshire. Is there another cell here?" Danny wondered out loud. Cheshire stared at Danny in shock.

"You want to move cells? Forget it. I know what you're doing. You'll make a break for it," Cheshire retorted. Danny shook his head quickly, wincing as the needle in the collar pulled on his muscles.

"No. I want you to move Jimmy. It's too dangerous to leave him here. Unless you start draining my energy again or remove the collar and cuffs so I can burn it away fast enough," Danny corrected. He'd prefer to be exhausted and violated by his energy being stolen than put Jimmy in harm's way.

Jimmy stopped drinking from the bottle in shock. He knew exactly how much Danny hated his energy being harvested from him. He didn't think Danny had lied about how dangerous his energy building could be, but it was hitting home about how urgent this matter was. Cheshire folded her arms and considered the hopping halfa.

"There aren't any more power units. You've filled all the ones we had. We didn't anticipate how much energy you had. That's why Jimmy's here. He has the last one left for research and study purposes," Cheshire admitted honestly.

"Then move him. It's too dangerous for him to stay," Danny retorted immediately. Cheshire glanced at the boy before turning to Danny again.

"I don't follow your orders," Cheshire muttered sharply.

"I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. I mean it Cheshire. I can't burn off my energy fast enough. Even with all this pacing and jumping. You lot have messed up how fast I build up my energy," Danny growled in clear anger. Cheshire tilted her head to the side.

"I'll ask the guys up top," Cheshire mumbled before snatching Jimmy's bottle of water and leaving.

Jimmy glanced at the door before turning to Danny who had already returned to his frantic pacing.

"I could try and help you use up some energy," he offered warily. Danny shook his head slightly.

"Thanks Jimmy but I don't want you getting too close. If you have any ideas, feel free to share. But I want to keep our distance right now. And um… Jimmy, we might have to toss our first plan. I didn't know this would happen if they stopped taking my energy. With the collar still stopping me from getting rid of it, it's too dangerous to wait. Fix the storage problem and figure out how to make its capacity bigger. And if you can get that distress call going, all the better," Danny replied. Jimmy pursed his lips tightly with concern but nodded. Danny glanced at Jimmy who nodded again. Danny gave the boy a grim smile and sped up his pacing.

Jimmy watched Danny worriedly and began to shiver violently. Jimmy knew it wasn't Danny's fault. But the teen was starting to chill the room to uncomfortably low temperatures at this point. Danny didn't stop pacing, his fingers fidgeted tirelessly behind his back. Danny had even added a jump to his pacing every time he turned around. Danny even started flexing his arms, stretching the blue stream of light between the cuffs repeatedly. With his hands bound, Danny had limited things he could do to burn his energy, especially when he had to keep his distance from Jimmy who had shrank as close to the metal door as possible. There was a slight breeze from the cracks which compared to the chilled room, was pleasantly warm for Jimmy. Both prisoners hoped Cheshire would return soon and take Jimmy from the room.

 **Oh no! Danny and Jimmy are in trouble! And it's all the kidnappers' fault. Any guesses who's behind it?**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	11. Chapter 11

The bolt screeched on the door and Jimmy scooted away from the door to stop himself getting hit. Danny didn't even stop his pacing, jumping to turn around. Cheshire stepped inside the room and instantly hugged herself and shivered in the sudden cold.

"Can't you stop that Phantom?!" Cheshire snarled.

"I told you. I can't! This is your fault! Messing around, stealing my energy," Danny retorted heatedly. Cheshire huffed in bored annoyance.

"So you said. Get up kid. Back to work," Cheshire concluded. Jimmy obediently got to his feet stiffly and staggered out of the cell. Danny paused as Jimmy glanced over his shoulder. Danny gave the boy a small reassuring smile and nod before resuming his pacing again, using all the area he had in the cell now.

Jimmy shivered as he walked obediently towards his work space, Cheshire giving the occasional nudge in the right direction. Cheshire opened the work room door and locked it behind them. She sighed loudly.

"There's hot chocolate on the desk. Only because Phantom's near frozen you. Don't get used to it. Kinda doubted you'd like coffee or tea," Cheshire muttered. Jimmy blinked in surprise before stuttering a thank you through chattering teeth. He shuffled over to the desk and picked up the steaming cup with shaky hands. He sipped the drink through numb lips and hugged the warming cup to himself. After a few minutes, Jimmy stopped shivering and had finished the hot drink. He put the cup to one side and began to work on the distress signal machine.

Jimmy, as usual, lost track of time as he finished the machine. He decided not to switch it on yet. Instead he turned to the power unit and easily fixed the leaking problem. He then returned to the interior schematics to address the second issue. Increasing capacity. He turned the problem over in his mind. He'd have to make the unit larger. And he'd have to make one from scratch in order to improve the condensation circuitry. So that's what he did. It took a long time and a lot of fiddly work, but he made a new, functioning power unit that should fit into the collar Danny was being forced to wear.

Cheshire stood up and called to him that he had to leave now. He'd asked the last time he worked on the power unit. They were only allowing him to work a few hours at a time in order to give him time to rest his mind so he didn't burn out and time to churn ideas on design in his mind. They also were giving him the time to sleep. Jimmy glanced at her and nodded. He put down the new power unit and discretely switched on his distress signal before jumping off his stool and joining the masked woman at the door. Cheshire took him down the corridors, passing the metal door to Danny's cell. There was a cold breeze emitting from the door that made Jimmy shiver and frown worriedly. But Cheshire pushed the boy on further and they walked down a series of corridors until they came to a solid wooden door that Cheshire opened and shoved Jimmy through. Jimmy stumbled but caught himself before he fell. Cheshire shut the door with a snap.

Jimmy licked his lips worriedly and scanned his new cell. It was an old office. Obviously prepared for his imprisonment at short notice. The desk was still there, too large to fit through the door. There was a swivel chair too and metal filing cabinet, locked when Jimmy examined it. The drawers and cupboards in the room were cleaned out though. Jimmy's heart leapt though at the first thing he noticed. The room was naturally lit by sunlight, streaming through a large window. He was at the ground level but the window was barred and locked. Jimmy scrambled to the glass and greedily stared at the outside world. There was a bright orange tinge to the sunlight. An evening sun. The room was pleasantly warmed up by it and made this new cell, as Jimmy wasn't foolish enough to call it anything different, almost cosy and comforting.

Jimmy instantly became guilty. Here he was seeing the outside world, feeling sunbeams on his skin while Danny had been there longer. Jimmy frowned worriedly and glanced at the door when the teenager came to mind. Danny was freezing his cell because of the situation. His energy building in his body to dangerous levels because he couldn't work off the excess energy fast enough. Jimmy frowned as he considered the halfa's situation.

He wondered if Cheshire and these criminals even did start taking his energy away again, would it be enough? The unit was meant to act like a tributary of a river, siphoning off energy steadily. What Danny needed was something to break the dam holding his energy back in his body. Would putting a power unit in the collar be too little too late? What would happen when the collar was eventually removed? Would Danny be able to withstand the sudden release of his energy? Just as having his energy being siphoned had affected him, Jimmy suspected that having the energy bottled up will have had an affect too. What if his body could no longer hold the energy inside him by itself? What if storing so much energy in his body for this length of time had a negative effect on Danny? There were too many uncertainties.

Jimmy bit his lip with concern and willed for someone to pick up his distress beacon and come to the rescue. Hopefully someone who could help Danny. Someone that could stand against Cheshire and that man, Sportsmaster. Left alone, without Danny's company to distract him, Jimmy's mind drifted to his parents, Goddard, his friends. He was worried about them. He knew they'd be worried about him in return. He wished he could send them a sign that he was fine. He couldn't even be sure that the distress signal reached far enough to call for help. He couldn't imagine what the week Danny had spent alone in that gloomy cell had been like. Jimmy had gotten out of the cell to work on the power unit. Danny didn't have that. He was left alone, only getting social interaction with Cheshire when she came to collect the power unit and replace it and to feed him. Jimmy was surprised that Danny's sanity had survived that.

Jimmy returned his gaze on to the view outside, drinking in the sight eagerly. The sky was a beautiful burnt pink and orange colour with a few wispy clouds. There were a number of cars, including the van that Sportmaster used to kidnap him, in view, parked beside the building. However, to Jimmy's horror, they were in the middle of nowhere. A dusty, dry hard-baked dirt field that stretched to the distant horizon. Geography wasn't one of Jimmy's strong suits, but he could tell that he was very far away from home. He dreaded to recall Sportsmaster's smug brag. The police weren't going to find him. Jimmy swallowed down that fear and squared his shoulders.

"No one has to find me. They just have to hear my signal. Help will come. It has to," Jimmy whispered to himself.

Jimmy watched the sun set and stared at the night sky above. He had always loved astronomy. And despite Danny's near constant exhaustion, both prisoners had learned of the other's love for the night sky. They had discussed at length various constellations. Jimmy would probably have gone on longer but Danny's exhaustion had overcome the teen and he had fallen asleep. Jimmy understood why Danny found it difficult to keep track of time. The teen slept a lot. Jimmy didn't blame him. His energy was being stolen from him, energy he would have usually used to stay awake and walk, run and fight ghosts with. At least it was the beginning of summer vacation. Neither of them were missing school while being locked away.

Jimmy gazed at the stars, wheeling the swivel chair to the window. It was amazing. He didn't realise how much he would miss being able to stargaze or feeling sunlight on his skin until he had lost the opportunity. He thought about vowing to spend more time outside but knew he'd never keep that promise to himself. Inventing was an indoor activity for the most part. But he did tell himself not to take freedom so lightly. The freedom to stargaze. The freedom to sit outside and feel a summer's breeze. The freedom to watch a sunset. He only wished Danny had the same opportunity.

The teen had told Jimmy that he had been locked in that room for the entire time he'd been captive. His ghost form was far more efficient at using what he ate than his human side which meant he didn't need to go to the bathroom. He could eat normal food but since being caught he'd only been given that grey smoothie stuff. It seemed to be a concentrated semi-solid liquid with all the nutrients he needed in order to re-energise him in minutes. He didn't know what was in the bag, but he knew it worked. Jimmy had asked what Danny really missed about being home. Danny had confessed that he was too exhausted to truly miss anything. He survived minute to minute. He mostly worried about his family and missed being able to use his hands. Walk without exhausting himself. Feeding himself was high on the list.

Jimmy sighed tiredly. He was getting tired. He would need to figure out where he would sleep in this room. But then Jimmy blinked and rubbed his eyes. In the sky… he saw something. He knew he did. Jimmy pressed himself against the window frantically, desperately searching for what he knew he saw. Something large flying in the sky. It was for a split second. Jimmy grinned in spite of himself. It just had to be help on the way.

 **So the prisoners have been separated and Jimmy turned on his distress call. But did he see help coming? If he did, who? If he didn't, what did he see, if anything?**

 **What about Danny? Will he be okay?**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	12. Chapter 12

Jake flopped on the couch in the back room. He'd been all over New York checking in with all of Fu dog's contacts on news about Danny or James. The bell in the shop doorway jingled. Jake got to his feet and poked his head out of the beaded curtain.

"We're closing," he grumbled, he didn't even know if his grandfather had official open hours but he was not in the mood for anyone looking for directions. It wouldn't be a customer. Not with that big electronics shop down the street.

"You're gonna want to see this kid," Marty, the Grim Reaper, retorted gravely. Jake blinked and stepped into the room.

"Marty? What are you doing here?" Jake inquired, trying and for the most part failing to hide his fear from the skeleton in black ropes, with bones for a belt.

"That guy you're looking for. He's on my list again," Marty answered and held up his list, Danny Fenton/Phantom was high up on the list. Jake gasped.

"Can you take me to him?" Jake requested hurriedly.

"You know I can't kid. Reaper rules. But… because it's you guys asking I'll let you borrow my magic compass. And kid, you really owe me for this one. That guy has been on and off my list more times than I can count. He should be dead," Marty informed Jake and handed the teen a golden orb of swirling light.

"Thanks so much Marty," Jake exclaimed happily as he ran out of the shop, pulling out his cell phone, dialling Spud's number as he went.

"Yo Spud. Up for a flight, could be a long one?" Jake called into his phone.

Robin sat in Mount Justice, idly tapping on his computer gauntlet.

"Hey Rob," Kid Flash greeted his friend.

"Hey Wally," Robin returned distractedly. Wally West, a.k.a. Kid Flash, rolled his eyes and sat down beside his friend.

"Did that tip Jazz gave me help at all?" Wally asked. Robin glanced up from his gauntlet and shrugged.

"Not really. I have to keep monitoring the entire country in case that reporter was wrong and the Light doubled back after losing the cops," Robin admitted. Wally nodded in understanding. They fell silent for a few minutes.

"I've been thinking about updating my tech. But it'll put me out of commission for missions for a couple of days. You know getting used to the new stuff, working the bugs out. Reckon I should do it after we find Danny and James?" Robin remarked. Wally shrugged.

"Dunno. Probably a good idea to do it as soon as you can though," Wally replied.

"Kind of what Kaldur said," Robin retorted.

Suddenly there was a loud beeping alarm from Robin's gauntlet. Wally and Robin instantly turned to the device.

"What is that?" Wally exclaimed.

"S.O.S. signal picked up. Hang on, I'll track it down. It's… east. Very secluded. I reckon it could be James. It has his style and is very subtle. Only caught it because the Bat computer has such good systems. We should check it out," Robin surmised. Wally nodded and jumped to his feet, zooming off to alert the team in the cave, Zatanna, M'gann, Conner, Artemis and Kaldur. Raquel had gone home earlier because of some family business. Robin sent the missing team member a message before getting to his feet to change into his stealth mission clothes.

They clambered onto the Bioship, Rocket arriving just in time to join them. They sped through the evening sky towards the co-ordinates the S.O.S. signal was coming from. The sun had gone down by the time they reached the signal location, entering camouflage mode as they came in for a landing. They disembarked and gathered around their leader, Aqualad.

"Remember, Danny may be injured. Zatanna, Artemis, Rocket and Superboy, you look for Danny. Kid, Robin, Miss Martian will come with me to find James. From now on, telepathic contact only. Miss Martian, link us up," Aqualad commanded. Miss Martian's eyes pulsed bright green as the mind link was established.

Jake, in his red dragon guise, landed behind a few bushes, setting Spud down beside him.

"Why didn't we get Trix again?" Spud wondered as he got his laptop out of his backpack.

"Because we had to fly here and get here fast," Jake retorted, peering out of the bushes before digging out Marty's magical compass from the backpack.

"This is the right place. Hurry up Spud," Jake muttered.

"Huh? That's weird. There's already a hacker in the system. Pretty good too. They've looped the security cameras already," Spud mused. Jake blinked in surprise before shrugging it off.

"Whatever. Where are we getting in?" Jake pressed. Spud tapped a few keys on his laptop before pointing to the building.

"Alright, there's an old security passage over that way. I checked and it's been blocked for years. We might be able to get through that way," Spud announced.

Jake nodded and reverted to his human form, grabbing Spud's arm and scooping up the backpack, shouldering it on to his back in one movement. They ran through the night to the entrance, covered by wooden boards that Jake easily tore down with some dragon strength. They crept inside, coming across a chained metal gate which was unlocked with some dragon fire. They emerged in the basement behind a tall stack of crates. Jake and Spud crept through the basement, dodging a patrolling guard. Jake pulled out the magical compass again and followed the glow worriedly.

"Uh? Dude? Who are they?" Spud hissed in Jake's ear. Jake looked away from the compass to see Zatanna, Artemis, Superboy and a girl Jake didn't recognise gaping at him.

"Jake? How did you get here? What is that?" Artemis whispered in shock.

"Er, ghost object. Borrowed it from Danny a couple of months ago. It points to uh halfas and um Danny's this way," Jake stammered uncertainly before leading the way down a corridor.

Zatanna flashed her team mates a quick reassuring smile before rushing to Jake's side.

"Okay, what is it really?" Zatanna muttered.

"Magical compass, courtesy of the Grim Reaper. He's a friend," Jake answered knowing that Zatanna could be trusted with the truth.

"You kind of look like my girlfriend Stacey," Spud pointed out as he looked at Artemis.

"Spud! Focus!" Jake hissed sharply.

"Right, sorry," Spud mumbled and rushed to his friend's side.

"Who is he?" Superboy inquired.

"He's a genius. Robin hack in already?" Jake replied.

"Yeah. How did you know?" the girl confirmed.

"Spud could tell. I'm Jake by the way. Danny's a friend. You are?" Jake introduced himself, having not learnt the heroine's name when everyone met up at Fenton Works a few days ago.

"Rocket," the girl returned. Jake flashed her a quick smile in greeting.

Jake paused at a fork and waved the compass until he determined that Danny was on the right. Before long they reached a heavy metal door. Jake reached out for the bolt, about to open the door, following the bright glow from the magical compass, when there was a shout. Artemis reacted quickly and fired an arrow to encase the guard in expanding, hardening foam. The group tensed and snarled curses as there were shouts down the corridor. Zatanna, Rocket, Superboy and Artemis readied themselves for a fight.

"Check that room for Danny. Superboy can carry Danny if need be," Artemis ordered. Jake nodded seriously and grabbed the bolt on the door, wrenching it to the side and pushing the door open. Spud and Jake shuddered as they were hit by a wall of frigid air.

Aqualad and Robin led the way through the complex, Robin accessing the security tapes and found James Neutron being pushed through the complex to an office. It didn't take long for them to reach the wooden door and Robin picked the lock easily. They opened the door and stepped inside quickly. The kidnapped ten year old twisted his swivel chair around and grinned broadly.

"I knew it. I knew I saw something come here. You got my signal right?" James exclaimed softly.

"That's right. Nice technique by the way," Robin confirmed with a smirk. James puffed his chest out proudly.

"Thanks. Have you found Danny yet?" James asked.

"We've split up into two teams. The rest are looking for him now," Aqualad informed the child.

" _Kaldur, Jake's here. He has this ghost thing that's supposed to locate Danny. Have you found James yet_?" Rocket's voice told them telepathically.

" _Yeah, we've got James. Let us know if you need help_ ," Kid Flash answered.

"Are you in contact with the rest of your team?" James inquired worriedly. Aqualad blinked in surprise.

"Yes. Why? They will find Danny, I assure you," Aqualad assured the boy.

"No. I know that they will. I wanted to express my concerns to them," James corrected.

"Concerns?" Kid Flash repeated in confusion.

"Yes. Concerns. Danny is currently wearing a collar that's repressing his powers, containing his ghost energy in his body. Until recently, his energy was being taken from him and stored into power units. However they ran out of power units. That was why they brought me here. To improve the units. But long story short… Danny can't burn off the energy he's got in his body. That's why we were separated. I'm concerned that without the collar, that energy will be uncontrollable," James explained.

"When you say uncontrollable?" Miss Martian pressed worriedly.

"Think of the collar like a dam. A huge reservoir has been artificially made behind it. Remove the dam. The water will rush forward with nothing to stop it. Remove the collar, Danny might go nuclear," James warned seriously. The four teens gasped in worry. Then an alarm filled the air.

"Intruder alert!" a computerised voice declared.

 **I love cliff-hangers! But don't worry you'll see Danny next chapter.**

 **Quick explanation, Spud was on holiday at the beginning of this story, but over a week has passed. So Spud has returned home and was able to join Jake to rescue Danny.**

 **Any guesses what will happen with Danny?**

 **Let me know what you think.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	13. Chapter 13

Jake stepped into the room and nearly lashed out as something glowing brightly ran in his direction. He stopped himself and saw it was Danny in his ghost form, pacing at a run. Jake glanced at Spud who was already shivering violently. Due to the fire in his body, Jake didn't get cold as quickly as normal humans.

"Danny?" Jake called warily.

"Jake? Hey, I'd greet you properly but I have to keep moving," Danny replied, the teen was shivering as he ran, his arms bound behind his back by metal, green inlay handcuffs. As Jake watched the teen, he saw that there was a thick collar with green detailing on his neck too. The halfa's eyes burned brightly and his body was as bright as the sun. The room's floor was coated with a thin layer of ice.

"We've come to save you. Spud, reckon you can get the cuffs and collar off?" Jake informed the halfa. Spud's teeth were chattering as he considered the devices from afar while Danny continued to pace.

"M-m-maybe. I n-need a b-b-better look," Spud answered. Jake bit his lip.

"I could burn them off. But you'd have to be completely still," Jake offered. Danny stopped pacing and started jumping on the spot.

"Get my cuffs off. But leave the collar. It needs to be removed with care," Danny decided. Jake frowned in confusion as he entered the room.

"Why? I mean you don't want it for something right?" Jake wondered. Danny shook his head as he jumped.

"No. There's a needle in my neck. It's how they extract my energy. I'd prefer to have it removed carefully," Danny explained. Jake gasped and nodded in understanding.

"Hold still. Mouth of the dragon," Jake ordered. Danny froze and let Jake melt the hinges on the cuffs and gently fiddle them off his wrists. The second they were off, Danny resumed running around.

"Thanks. Man my arms are stiff," Danny remarked over his shoulder as he rolled his shoulders and flexed his arms while running.

"Why are you running?" Jake inquired worriedly.

"I have too much energy in my body. The collar usually contains a unit that my energy was siphoned from me into. After I got shot, they didn't replace it. I can't get rid of it any other way," Danny answered.

"You were shot?!" Jake exclaimed.

"In the leg. I was trying to stop Cheshire taking Jimmy. Kinda backfired. It's healed now," Danny elaborated.

"Jimmy?" Jake wondered.

"Ten year old boy genius kidnapped to improve the power units they used to store my energy," Danny supplied. Suddenly there was an explosion and Zatanna ran to the door.

"Don't take off that collar!" she ordered.

"Hey Zatanna," Danny greeted as he paced.

"What? Why?" Jake demanded in confusion.

"It's the only thing holding back Danny's energy. James thinks that if we remove it, Danny might go nuclear on us," Zatanna explained. Jake gasped and involuntarily took a step back from the halfa.

"Could happen actually. But I'm more likely to bring this state into the next ice age to be fair," Danny agreed grimly. He couldn't think properly. His skin itched from the buzzing energy held inside him. The only thing on his mind was getting rid of his energy, staying still was uncomfortable now. He had to keep moving. But the warning did sound right.

"Why didn't you warn me?!" Jake snapped. Danny shrugged as he paced and flexed his arms.

"It's not easy thinking when you're freezing and literally buzzing with energy. When you're ready to make a run for it, tell me. I can't stay still," Danny replied, glancing at Zatanna. She gasped at his neon green eyes. It was like looking into two lightbulbs. She pursed her lips and nodded.

" _Guys, Danny's here. He's not injured. But he's told me that he can't stay still. He's agreed with James too about removing the collar being bad_ ," Zatanna told the team over the mind link. Happy that his arms had loosened up, Danny dropped to the ground and started to do push ups.

Spud and Jake glanced at each other before poking their heads out to see how the other three teens were doing. Superboy was charging though the hordes of black clad people clogging up the corridor. Rocket and Artemis were working together by Artemis firing gas arrows and Rocket containing the smoke and a number of people until they passed out in translucent bubbles.

"We're pinned down!" Artemis growled. Zatanna returned to the fight and conjured ropes to tangle and trip people up. Jake bit his lip and gasped as one of the guards broke though and lunged at Spud. Jake ran to his friend's aid and using martial arts he learned from his grandfather, protected the secret teen genius.

Danny rolled onto his back and jumped to his feet. The sounds of the fight reached his buzzing ears and he frowned. He bounced on the spot.

"Fighting is probably a really good way to burn off energy," Danny muttered to himself before grinning.

"And the pay back will be nice too," Danny added. He jogged to the door and, while bouncing on the spot, he scanned the fight. Superboy needed back up. Jake was fine. Spud had Jake protecting him. Artemis, Zatanna and a girl Danny didn't know were at a safe distance from any guards. Danny sprinted forward and jumped over the girls, rolling as he hit the ground. He knew he was being a lot more reckless and energetic than normal, but his body's safety had been forgotten. He had so much energy that injuries would heal rapidly. And if Danny was being honest with himself, getting injured would be a good way of using up excess energy.

He ignored the surprised yelps from the girls and barrelled into the crowd of guards, unable to use his powers he resorted to the martial arts his mother taught him. He didn't even notice how every touch he made, caused the other person to shiver uncontrollably and sometimes frost laced the point he hit. Danny forgot about the five people behind him, he only remembered Superboy because the teen and Danny tended to cross paths. All that mattered was the fighting and using his energy. It wasn't enough and he had to consciously hold himself back a number of times.

Before long the guards had all been subdued and Danny bounced on the spot as he surveyed the damage.

"Thanks for coming you guys," Danny muttered distractedly. Superboy blinked at the halfa.

"No problem Danny. Are you alright?" the clone replied, instantly recalling how the teen had tried to talk to Superman on his behalf. Danny nodded.

"I'll be better when I get rid of all this energy but yeah. I'm okay. Can't wait to get out of here," Danny answered.

"Okay, er this way then," the girl replied.

"Danny," Danny introduced himself. The girl smiled nervously.

"I'm Rocket," she returned.

As a group the seven teens walked through the complex, Danny rushing to the front of the group and then backpedalling to the back before repeating the process. Whoever Danny passed felt a sudden violent shiver.

"Danny, remember what you said to Danielle?" Artemis mumbled worriedly as they walked. Danny nodded distractedly.

"Didn't you say it was dangerous to let your ice powers get out of control?" Artemis continued.

"I did and it is. That's why I'm avoiding touching you guys. It'd be a lot worse without the collar. But then again without this stupid thing my powers wouldn't be this out of whack," Danny confirmed with an angry glare as he rushed back to the end of the group.

"What does the collar do?" Superboy asked.

"Represses my powers, locks my ghost energy in my body. It can't get out, I can't use it. The only way for it to get out is through a needle in the collar which feeds into a power unit. Except there's no power unit in the collar to filter my energy into for condensation and storage," Danny explained as he paced within the group and while he shivered violently.

"There's a needle!?" Rocket exclaimed. Danny nodded.

"I stopped feeling it ages ago. Unless I move my neck too much, it doesn't bother me. It's more the whole repressing my powers thing," Danny replied as he moved.

"Wait, how long have you been wearing that collar?" Jake interjected worriedly.

"They put it on me before they put the bag on my head," Danny answered.

"Bag?" Spud repeated in confusion.

"Yeah, so I wouldn't see where they took me," Danny affirmed.

"You mean when they caught you? You've been wearing that the entire time you've been missing!?" Zatanna realised. Danny nodded, pausing to glance at the group before returning to his pacing within the group.

"How long have I been here?" Danny inquired.

"Almost ten days. James has been here almost two days," Artemis replied. Danny gritted his teeth angrily.

They reached an ajar door and Artemis slipped outside, bow at the ready. She scanned the area before whispering the go ahead to the others. Rocket was close behind and led the way towards the camouflaged ship. Danny ran after them quickly, running back to make sure the others were following. The sight of the halfa running between the teens like an excitable puppy would have been funny had the situation not been so grave.

Jake and Spud got on board just before Danny and Artemis. Danny was reluctant to get on the ship as it was harder to burn off energy in enclosed places with lots of people. Artemis didn't want to leave Danny outside alone.

"You next Danny. I don't care if it makes you uncontrollable. Without your powers this is the only way," Artemis ordered the bouncing teen. Danny rolled his eyes.

"Hope you have good heaters because I don't want to freeze all of you guys," Danny muttered and took a step forward. Suddenly a sai appeared out of nowhere and stopped Danny walking any further.

"Not so fast cutie," Cheshire snarled. Danny spun around and scowled at the woman.

"You're way too valuable to let go," Cheshire continued. Danny shifted into a ready position.

"Really. And I said you were lucky I was bound," Danny growled. Cheshire chuckled darkly. Danny ran forward before Artemis could stop him. Cheshire threw a number of throwing stars at Danny. He didn't even flinch when one sliced into his arm. Artemis gasped as she watched the deep gash knitted together before her eyes. Danny kicked and punched at Cheshire but the woman was fast and nimble on her feet. Artemis narrowed her eyes and pulled out her bow and arrow. She notched a foam arrow and then a net arrow. She fired both arrows with pin point accuracy at Cheshire. The net encased the woman and the foam exploded and covered Cheshire, expanding rapidly. Danny, mid-punch, hit Cheshire in the face, cracking the mask and caused it to fall off.

Danny narrowed his eyes as the woman's face, taking in her features for the first time.

"I see you again, and I won't just walk away," Danny threatened angrily. This was the woman who took his energy. The woman who humiliated him by feeding him like a baby. The woman who ordered for him to be shot. He didn't care that Cheshire wasn't the top person calling the shots. Hers was the face he saw. She was the one he directly blamed for the previous ten days he had endured. He turned and walked on to the Bioship without another look at Cheshire. Artemis turned to her older sister and scowled.

"I thought you quit working for the Light," Artemis pointed out. Cheshire shrugged as much as she could in her situation.

"The Light pays well and a girl's gotta eat," Cheshire retorted evenly.

"Dad can help you when he finds you. Bye Jade," Artemis concluded and boarded the Bioship.

Artemis took her seat and Miss Martian guided the Bioship into the air. Artemis frowned.

"Where's Danny?" she asked, seeing that the halfa wasn't in the control room.

"He's in the back, trying to burn off energy. Jake's with him. We're gonna head to Fenton Works. They're experts in ghost energy," Aqualad answered.

 **Danny's free! But his energy is still causing problems. But he's own his way home! Wow, that's a rollercoaster. Lol.**

 **Let me know what you guys think so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	14. Chapter 14

Jazz massaged her temple tiredly. The phone had been ringing all day in response to the article the reporter wrote after speaking to Jazz. Now every reporter in America was under the impression that they could convince the Fenton family into giving comments for more information. There were a few international reporters too. Danielle was forbidden to speak to the reporters. The first time she answered the phone, she had shouted at the reporter angrily. Fortunately Jazz managed to grab the phone from the girl and stop the reporter taking action. Maddie and Jack tended to stay in the lab the entire time which left Jazz to answer the phone.

Suddenly Jazz's cell phone rang and the teen leapt to answer it. She fumbled with the buttons in her haste.

"Hello?" Jazz answered, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Jazz, Kid Flash here. We're on our way to you now," the voice replied.

"You are? Has something happened?" Jazz retorted in confusion and concern.

"Give me that! Hey, it's Artemis. We found Danny," a female voice snapped before addressing Jazz. Jazz gasped.

"You have!? How is he? Did you find James? Where did you find him?" Jazz questioned.

"Jazz calm down. We'll be there soon. We've got James and Danny's… you'll see. Just be ready for him," Artemis interjected, trying to reassure her.

"What exactly are we getting ready for?" Jazz inquired fearfully.

"He's not injured. We'll explain when we get there," Artemis concluded and hung up. Jazz blinked at the opposite wall before jumping to her feet.

"Dani!" Jazz shouted and began dialling Sam's number.

"What!?" Danielle yelled back.

"Get down here! Sam. They found Danny. He's on his way here. Bring Tucker," Jazz informed the girl as the Goth answered the call. Danielle stomped down the stairs.

"I didn't talk to any press. I swear," Danielle grumbled. Jazz shook her head.

"That's not why I called you. Danny's been found. They're bringing him here," Jazz corrected her adoptive sister. Danielle opened her mouth speechlessly. Jazz passed the girl as she rushed through the kitchen down to the lab to inform their parents.

Danielle watched Jazz leave the living room and only snapped out of her shock when there was a knock at the door. Danielle peeked through the peephole and let Sam and Tucker into the house.

"How's Danny? How long until he gets here?" Sam asked worriedly. Danielle shook her head.

"I don't know. Jazz only told me that Danny's been found and is coming home," Danielle retorted. Suddenly there was a loud knock on the back door. Danielle, Sam and Tucker sprinted into the kitchen while Jazz, Jack and Maddie ran up the stairs from the lab. Jazz reached the door first and wrenched it open.

Aqualad blinked in surprise, his hand still raised to knock.

"Good evening," Aqualad offered as he recovered.

"Danny's with you?" Danielle asked hopefully.

"Yeah, he's in the Bioship. He'll be out in a moment," Aqualad replied. The Atlantean gently pushed his way past Jazz into the kitchen.

"But I feel I ought to warn you. Danny's in a bad way. He's not injured but the people that took him have caused an issue," Aqualad began.

"What? What did they do?" Maddie pressed fearfully. Aqualad held up his hands to appease the mother.

"The people who took him have been… there's no easy way to say it, stealing his energy. But to do that they repressed his energy and stored it in his body. They stopped siphoning it off and it has built up. James believes that if we removed the collar supressing Danny's powers, Danny's energy will become uncontrollable and we may be in danger," Aqualad continued.

Jack scowled furiously. Maddie bit her lip worriedly.

"Those people having been violating my son?!" Jack boomed.

"Dad, it's fine," Danny interjected quickly as he jogged into the room.

"Danny!?" Sam exclaimed happily and rushed forward to embrace her boyfriend. Danny quickly dodged her.

"Bad idea Sam. My energy might be trapped, but I'm still radiating cold," Danny warned. Sam paused, hurt and worry flashing across her face.

"Sorry, I just don't want to hurt you. Any of you," Danny added. Sam nodded, giving him a small smile to say she understood.

Maddie frowned at her son as the rest of the teenagers, including Jake and Spud to Jazz's surprise filed into the house through the back door, away from prying eyes. Danny was shivering and bouncing hyperactively on the spot.

"Sweetie, are you alright?" Maddie ventured worriedly.

"Yeah, dude. I've never seen you like this and I've seen you on sugar highs when we were like five," Tucker agreed.

"It's the energy. I have to get rid of it. It's _driving_ me nuts," Danny replied, tugging at his hair in frustration.

"Don't worry. We'll help you. Just-just tell us how," Jazz assured him. Danny began to pace around the kitchen.

"Danny, we can talk about this? Just calm down," Danielle attempted to soothe her adoptive brother.

"Easier said than done. You have no idea what this is like for me. I feel like I'm being electrocuted without the pain. My skin is crawling with the energy in me. I can't focus on anything else," Danny retorted sharply.

"Easy Danny. Just be patient for a little longer," Sam muttered gently. Danny gave a distracted grunt but didn't stop pacing.

"He's been doing that a while. It's the only way for him to slow down the energy build up," Jimmy interjected, hoping to soothe the others.

"How long exactly?" Maddie pressed worriedly.

"Since his leg healed," Jimmy replied.

"Healed!? What happened?" Maddie demanded, glaring at her son for not telling her he was injured.

"It's not a big deal mom. I'll explain but can we _please_ focus on getting rid of this energy," Danny implored, desperation leaking into his voice. Maddie blinked in surprise before nodding uncertainly.

"Can't we just shoot the collar at a distance? Let Danny release that energy into the sky or something," Sam suggested. A few of the teens starting nodding, considering the suggestion.

"We can't do that," Jake answered.

"Why not?" Danielle retorted.

"Because of the needle," Danny told her.

"Needle? What needle?" Robin questioned worriedly.

"There's a needle in the collar, poking into Danny's neck. The collar works by trapping the energy inside Danny, the needle filtered the energy out into a power unit to be taken," Zatanna recalled.

"So someone needs to take the collar off carefully," Artemis added.

"Understood. But how? Someone will need to be close to Danny and with all that energy…" Aqualad muttered, trailing off in thought.

"I can get someone close. I'll just turn intangible when the collar's removed," Danielle offered. Everyone glanced at each other but no one could think of a reason to refuse Danielle's offer.

"Alright. Then who's going to remove the collar?" Jazz asked the group, glancing at the frantically pacing Danny worriedly.

"I think we should instantly discount people who aren't good with tech," Miss Martian put in. There was a round of muttered agreement.

"So, who here's good with tech?" Rocket resumed, looking around the room.

"Tucker's good with tech," Sam mentioned.

"I dunno Sam. I can hack. Engineering technology is different. And I've never worked with anything that high tech before," Tucker interjected with a concerned look at his friend.

"So Tucker's out. I'm pretty good with technology. And I have a lot of experience defusing villain weapons and stuff," Robin remarked.

"I've studied the power units used in tandem with the collar at length. I wasn't allowed to look at schematics but I did do a preliminary examination of the collar in our cell," Jimmy pointed out, stepping forward.

"I could probably figure it out but it'd take time and Danny would have to stay still in order for me to look at the collar," Spud commented. Aqualad considered Spud, Robin and Jimmy.

"I think it's too dangerous to ask either James or… Spud was it? It's too dangerous for either of them. James, tell Robin what you know but I want Robin to remove the collar," Aqualad decided.

"We have who. Now where?" Jake surmised, turning to the Fentons, cutting off Jimmy's protests.

"Ghost containment cell," Maddie instantly answered.

"What?" Kid Flash retorted in confusion.

"It's a cell we made to hold large specimens for study. We've tested it and it can withstand one of Danny's ghostly wails," Jack elaborated.

"I have more energy than that right now dad," Danny called, surprising everyone as they had thought the halfa wasn't listening.

"We can have the lab evacuated as well. The walls are lined with anti-ghost metal and resins. Maybe not enough to stop a ghost phasing through but probably enough to dissipate the escaped energy," Maddie offered. Danny gave a distracted nod.

"Guess that's all we can do. Can we do it now? Please?" Danny begged.

"Alright Danny. Just wait a little longer," Jazz soothed her brother. Danny grabbed his hair and stomped down the stairs to the lab.

"I'll be down here," Danny called over his shoulder. Danielle bit her lip with concern.

"I'll give him some company," she mumbled before running after him.

"I think the sooner we help Danny, the better. He's really wound up," Sam remarked worriedly. Robin nodded and pulled Jimmy to one side for the ten year old to give his pointers to the boy wonder.

Danielle scanned the lab and found Danny doing push ups in the glass-walled cell. She watched him for a few seconds before crossing the room and sitting cross-legged in the cell a respectful distance from Danny.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked softly. Danny shook his head slightly as he continued exercising.

"I'm sorry. For not holding on to you tight enough," Danielle blurted out. Danny paused before resuming his frantic push ups.

"Not your fault Dani. So don't blame yourself. If you and Sam hadn't let go, you would've been kidnapped too," Danny replied. Both halfas fell silent, Danielle watching her adoptive brother as he exercised.

A few minutes later Robin came into the lab, the lab door was shut and barred behind him. The boy wonder walked down the stairs, carefully taking in the metal lab and entered the glass cell. Danielle got to her feet as he entered and locked the door behind him. She then changed into her ghost form. Robin sighed softly and pulled out a small fabric roll that held a few tools such as screwdrivers and wrenches.

"Danny, can you sit up for me and let me look at the collar?" Robin requested. Danny jumped to his feet and turned to Robin.

"Fair warning, staying still is really hard for me right now. I'll try to stay as still as possible but I can't guarantee that I'll be motionless," Danny replied before dropping into a seated position on the floor.

"I understand Danny. I promise, I'll get that collar off as quickly as possible. James told me what he knew so I'm not starting with nothing," Robin assured the teen and knelt beside Danny. Danielle hovered behind Robin, keeping a ready hand over the caped teen's shoulder.

Danny chewed his lip, tapped his fingers and wriggled his crossed feet almost continuously but he kept his neck motionless for Robin. Robin examined the collar and noted the characteristics Jimmy pointed out. The thick metal. Almost imperceptible hinges. The tiny key hole, so small it would be nearly impossible to pick without the proper equipment, which Robin didn't have on his person. Robin had full sized lock picking gear.

"Where's the needle?" Robin asked after a minute of silence. Danny twisted his neck to the side and winced before putting a finger to the right side of his neck.

"There," he answered. Robin bit his lip and nodded. Robin shuffled around to make it easier to reach the needle's location, Danielle following him dutifully.

Robin grabbed his screwdriver and began to unscrew the hinges with difficulty. The slight tinkling of metal hitting the ground told the three teens that the tiny screws had been freed. Robin then pulled the collar off partially, making sure to not jostle the needle still implanted in Danny's neck.

"Ready? This could hurt," Robin warned. Danielle placed a firm hand on Robin's shoulder and spread her intangibility over herself and Robin up to his hands. They had no clue what would happen once the needle was removed. Danny might be able to let the energy out in a controlled manner or it might explode out of him. Danny grunted in answer and shifted himself into a ready position. Danielle could tell what he was planning. He would try to hold back the energy long enough to rush to the other side of the cell to protect them. The cell was phase-proof which meant without opening the door, all three teens were trapped in this cell with a potentially volatile half-ghost. Robin shifted his position also and with one fluid movement, he pulled the inch long needle out of Danny's neck.

 **Yep, love cliff-hangers.**

 **What do you think will happen? Will Danielle be able to protect herself and Robin? Will Danny be okay?**

 **Let me know what you guys think. I love hearing your thoughts and opinions.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	15. Chapter 15

Danny staggered to his feet the second the needle was gone and stumbled the grand total of two steps before the energy overcame him. His blindingly green eyes flashed blue and the cell was coated instantly with ice and snow before he screamed in agonised effort as he released an uncontrolled wave of pure green ghost energy, some spilling from his mouth as a ghostly wail. Danielle reacted as quickly as she could by spreading her intangibility further to encompass Robin's hands and the collar. She formed a shield a second too late to block the ice and she could feel Robin shivering against her hand. They watched in feared awe as Danny caused the entire cell to shake, forming cracks in the reinforced glass before he collapsed and changed to human. They waited a moment before Danielle gently guided Robin to the door and unlocked it for them to leave.

They paused in the doorway, neither wanting to leave Danny but were unsure if it was safe to remove him from the ghost cell. Robin shrugged Danielle's hand off his shoulder and grunted as he was suddenly returned to a tangible state. Robin re-entered the cell and crept over to Danny's unconscious body. He placed shivering fingers to Danny's neck, cringing at the bruising, red mark where the needle had been. Happy that Danny was breathing and had a strong, steady pulse, Robin decided that Danny would be alright. However he couldn't be sure that Danny had his energy under control yet and opted to leave the teen in the cell, grabbing a pair of lab coats to make a makeshift pillow and blanket for Danny.

Danielle and Robin then scaled the stairs up out of the lab together, unlocking the door and stepping into the kitchen. Everyone turned to them worriedly.

"What happened? We felt the house shake," Jazz inquired quickly.

"Danny went nuclear," Danielle reported grimly.

"What!? Is-is he alright?" Sam exclaimed.

"That may have been a slight exaggeration. But Danny's fine. He's unconscious right now but he's breathing fine and his pulse is strong," Robin interjected quickly.

"So he's still in the ghost cell?" Tucker pointed out.

"We weren't sure if it was safe to remove him," Robin admitted with a slight apologetic shrug.

"Is that the collar?" Maddie asked, pointing to the device still hanging limply from Robin's hand, after a brief uneasy silence. Robin nodded and handed it to the woman. Maddie gingerly took it and examined the collar. Her fingers lingered over the inch long needle stained green with Danny's ghostly blood. Her expression hardened angrily.

"This was injected in Danny's neck," she growled protectively. A number of the teens shared concerned glances.

"Mrs Fenton perhaps we should go to the living room and wait for Danny to come around. We can discuss our next move with him," Aqualad suggested.

"And James can call his parents," Artemis added with a warm smile to the child. Jazz nodded.

"Come on James. I'll show you the phone. You know your number right?" Jazz offered.

"Of course I know," Jimmy retorted pompously.

"I'll make some tea. Go ahead Mr and Mrs Fenton," Sam decided and nodded to the parents encouragingly.

An hour later, the group of seventeen people were quietly gathered in the living room anxiously waiting for Danny to make an appearance. Every ten minutes or so, Danielle would phase down to the lab and check on Danny only to report that the teen hadn't moved. Jimmy had rung his parents, receiving the wonderful news that Goddard was fine. The explosion was the robot dog playing dead. Jimmy told his parents where he was and that he was fine, promising he'd return home when he could.

Everyone looked up when they heard a door click shut and grinned happily when Danny shuffled into the living room, rubbing his neck gently with a slight frown.

"Danny, how do you feel?" Sam inquired quickly jumping to her feet and rushing to his side.

"Much better. Thanks. But um, the ghost cell's gonna need a lot of repairs," Danny answered, flashing an apologetic smile at his parents.

"Is your energy under control now?" Robin asked. Danny frowned thoughtfully.

"I think so. It's hard to tell at the minute. But without the collar, I'll be able to regulate it now. It shouldn't build up like that again," Danny replied.

"Are you hungry?" Maddie ventured. Danny smirked.

"I could eat," Danny admitted. Maddie smiled warmly at her son before walking into the kitchen, brushing a caring caress on his arm as she passed him.

Sam tugged Danny into a seat and perched beside him, pulling his hand away from his neck, scowling angrily when she spotted the dark bruise left behind by the collar. Minutes later, Maddie returned with a large plate of sandwiches which Danny, Kid Flash, Jack, Danielle and Tucker dove into happily. After Danny revelled in feeding himself and chewing three wonderfully delicious sandwiches, he wrapped an arm around Sam's waist and turned to the others. He didn't have a massive appetite, probably due to not eating much for over a week and then the massive energy build up.

"So, I assume you have questions," Danny remarked. Everyone shared uncertain glances.

"If you're ready for them," Jazz confirmed softly. Danny shrugged calmly.

"I don't have a problem telling you guys what happened. To be honest, most of it was boring," Danny retorted.

"Boring?" Sam repeated, giving her boyfriend an incredulous look. Danny smirked and nodded.

"That's right. All I did was sit in my cell, too exhausted by my energy being filtered away into a power unit to do anything. I slept a lot too," Danny replied. Jimmy nodded in agreement.

"They didn't… you know…?" Jake mumbled. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Torture me?" Danny guessed. There were a few grim nods around the room. Danny shook his head.

"No. That would have been counter-productive. Healing takes energy. Hurting me would have meant they got less energy," Danny answered.

"But you got shot?" Maddie recalled worriedly. Danny nodded.

"I did. That was because Cheshire, the prisoner keeper or whatever, was trying to take Jimmy. I tried to stop her. Before Jimmy came, they only came into my cell once the power unit was full, by then I was too exhausted to do anything, let alone attack anyone and make a run for it. But they came to collect Jimmy before then so I had more energy. Cheshire brought in a couple of guys with anti-ghost weapons. I didn't back down so she gave the order to shoot me. They stopped taking my energy after that and because I was so used to losing my energy, it built up superfast. All that energy healed my leg completely, and any subsequent injuries," Danny explained.

"Then what about your neck?" Sam muttered, flicking her gaze to the dark bruise.

"I had no energy stored away to heal it after the collar was removed," Danny reminded her.

"Wait a sec, can we get back to the anti-ghost weapons? How did they get Fenton Works stuff?" Artemis interjected. Danny shook his head before fixing his gaze on Jake.

"They didn't. They were Guys in White grade weapons," Danny corrected. Jake gasped.

"Rose," he breathed. Danny nodded grimly.

"Rose?" Rocket repeated, completely lost.

"Jake's girlfriend. Last year, just after Hallowe'en, Jake's girlfriend went missing. We found her with a mind-control device on her that we linked back to the Light," Robin recalled.

"The plate! It absorbed ghost energy," Superboy exclaimed in remembrance. Danny nodded.

"I think it might have been a prototype. But they had thousands of those plates made. I highly doubt they made those plates just to make one collar," Danny pointed out.

"So why did they need all those plates? And why kidnap you? I mean, no offence dude, but it would probably be easier to catch and detain a ghost than you," Tucker mused. Danny frowned in thought.

"You're right Tuck. And that trap would only have been for someone looking into the Guys in White," Danny muttered.

"Ugh, you see this is why I hate the Light. They can't just have a straightforward plot and be done with it. They have to have stages and plots within plots. Half the time I swear they make things up as they go," Kid Flash complained.

"Maybe they kidnapped Danny because… because they needed him specifically," Spud mumbled thoughtfully. Everyone turned to the teen genius.

"What do you mean?" Jake pressed.

"Well, if I wanted to get someone to gather ghost energy, then Tucker's right. A full ghost would be easier. Ten times easier. Danny is well-known and respected. If he went missing, the entire country if not the world would be on high alert. A normal ghost would be easier to catch and hide is missing. I mean the Ghost Zone's massive. That ghost's friends might just think they missed it. It would take a lot longer for that ghost's disappearance to be noticed," Spud explained. Danny nodded in agreement, understanding exactly what Spud meant.

"It would take a long time. Because they'd need human help or my help to track down that ghost. And most ghosts are too proud to ask," Danny remarked. Spud nodded.

"So they had to have wanted to catch Danny in particular. The trap was way too specialised to be for anyone but Danny. I haven't looked at the trap mechanics but I'd hazard a guess that it would need ghost energy to activate. Maybe the Light even guided Danny to check out that base without you guys knowing," Spud resumed. Danny shared an uneasy glance with Tucker. Tucker was the one who found and organised who looked in which bases. It was a scary thought that they could have hacked into Tucker's system.

"So, perhaps we should look at the energy draining thing as a side issue. Maybe a bonus for catching someone with ghost energy to take or it was a method of keeping Danny subdued to prevent escape," Spud concluded.

"Well Danny?" Zatanna prompted. Danny blinked.

"I don't know. Cheshire didn't tell me anything," Danny retorted defensively.

"And I was only allowed to work on the power unit," Jimmy added. Everyone frowned in thought. After a long silence, Maddie sighed loudly, spotting Jimmy yawning.

"It's late. Perhaps we should all get some sleep. We can think about this in the morning with fresh minds. We have sleeping bags if you want to spend the night here," Maddie suggested.

"I'm gonna have a shower first mom," Danny interjected and stood up, planting a kiss on Sam's head before heading upstairs, rubbing his aching neck as he went. Maddie and Jack began distributing sleeping bags and settled the teens in the Ops Centre for the night.

 **Everything seems to have settled again. But… has it really?**

 **Let me know what you guys think.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	16. Chapter 16

Danny lay on his back, head resting on his hands, staring at the ceiling. Tucker decided to spend the night in Danny's room on the floor. Jake wanted to join the techno-geek but decided to stay with Spud to stop the teen annoying the young heroes too much, in particular Artemis. Danny wasn't tired. He felt the most rested and refreshed he had felt in a long time. The shower was fantastic. Over a week stuck in a cell and then getting shot meant he felt disgustingly dirty. He even resorted to changing into his ghost form and showering again to make sure he was completely clean.

Now, three hours later at four in the morning, Danny was wide awake. He guessed it might have been because of the power build up or the period of time he was captive messing up his internal clock. In the cell, time was nothing. He slept whenever staying awake was too difficult. Which, due to the situation, was regularly. Not that he had the best sleep patterns before he was kidnapped though. But now that he wasn't being exhausted by the collar, he could focus on his thoughts. For the first time in a long time, he was able to contemplate why he was kidnapped. He had always suspected it was to harvest his energy. But Spud and Tucker made excellent points. Why kidnap him when ghosts are so much easier? So for the first time Danny considered why anyone would want to kidnap him specifically.

There were a lot of reasons. The first being because he was half-ghost. The next being because of who his parents are. He was a world hero, it was possible that people might consider he was rich. He wasn't, he didn't get any payment for fighting rampaging ghosts. There were perks. Like grateful shopkeepers giving him things, restaurants making his reservations priority and so on. But he wasn't paid. Fenton Works was doing better from increased sales but that was it. But these people hadn't even tried to send a ransom note. So it wasn't to do with cash. But these people were criminals. Danny had seen their handiwork before when they kidnapped Rose and used her to rob the Guys in White and to attempt… attempt to get him to go with her! This must be linked still! What happened around last Hallowe'en was linked to what was happening now. Danny frowned in concern. Why did they take Rose all those months ago? Why did they want him back then? These questions were never answered. Rose hardly remembered her time while under the Light's control.

Danny sighed softly. Tucker was a heavy sleeper. He wouldn't notice if Danny went for a night-time flight. But Danny was wary of using his powers just yet. His ghost energy had been through a lot and there was no telling how it had been affected. But he did always think better while flying… and before that star-gazing. Something about the night sky always relaxed him and enabled him to think clearly. He sat up and glanced at Tucker.

The techno-geek was happily sleeping in his sleeping bag, cuddling his PDA. Danny smirked. Any thoughts of taking a picture for later teasing instantly dismissed by the hours of exhausting loneliness in the cell. He had feared never escaping or being found. He feared that the process of harvesting his energy might have gradually weakened him to the point that he died. Seeing his friend after that terrible time was a comfort. When he first got home, he was so distracted by the building energy in his body that he couldn't even enjoy the feeling of returning. Then after waking up alone in the wrecked ghost cell in the lab, he had feared the worst. He knew the amount of energy he released and he had been terrified that he'd killed Danielle and Robin, if not the others in the house. So walking into the living room and seeing them all was a relief.

Danny swung his legs over the edge of the bed and rubbed his face wearily. He didn't feel tired but he did feel like he had been through a traumatic experience. While lying on the bed, in darkness, in silence… it was far too easy to remember the feeling of the collar on his neck. He shuddered at the memory of his kidnapping. Those cuffs had been horrible. Feeling his powers there but unable to be used while struggling against black clad men following Cheshire down a narrow corridor. But the collar was worse. Being shoved against the car and having cold metal wound around his throat, a sharp agonising pain in his neck as the needle was driven through his skin. As a ghost, his organs weren't as vital to his existence so the needle wasn't dangerous as long as he stayed ghost. He had screamed and thrashed frantically as the bag was forced over his head and he was pushed into the car. Cheshire had slipped in beside him and held her hand over his mouth to stop him screaming for help.

He shook his head, instinctively being wary of the needle no longer in his neck. He pushed himself to his feet and quietly walked out of the bedroom and took the old rickety ladder up to the Ops Centre. It had been years since he had used it. Flight and intangibility were used most often to get there since getting his powers and the futuristic elevator in his parent's room before that. But he didn't want to disturb anyone. They'd had a hard time while he had been captive too. He scanned the room in the gloom cast by the moon and orange streetlights. There were twelve sleeping forms scattered around the room. Sam had opted to stay in the Ops Centre to make sure nothing happened overnight from buttons being pressed or anything. However she had wanted to stay in Danny's room but since they started going out it had been deemed inappropriate for them to have sleepovers in the same room. Especially by Sam's parents. Despite having accepted Danny and being proud that their daughter was dating such an influential and impressive figure, they maintained that Danny, despite having the best intentions, was a bad influence. So they set in place rules that Sam and Danny were meant to follow. Danny was more willing to follow them than Sam usually. He wanted to prove himself to Sam's parents that he wasn't the bad influence they believed him to be.

Danny quickly found the metal rungs on the wall that led to the top of the Ops Centre. Fenton Works was one of the tallest buildings in Amity Park, especially in the suburbs. Which meant the roof was fairly dark. The park was better as it was a large green space free of artificial lighting. But Danny didn't want to leave the house. Especially without telling anyone and he didn't want to wake anyone. As quietly as possible, Danny climbed the rungs outside, his bare feet padding softly on the cold metal. He took a deep breath of fresh, cool night air and smiled. Nothing smelled better than fresh night air. The still coolness, dotted with refreshing damp dew. He loved it. And he had definitely missed it during his time in that cell. He looked out over his hometown. Calm, as it should be, he noted happily. He blinked when he heard soft murmuring below him in the street. He looked down and gasped as he saw a number of self-standing tents dotted around the house, a few even spilled out on to the street itself making it nearly impossible to drive in front of the house. He squinted and saw a few signs lying on the ground, only one legible from so far away.

"Come back home Danny Phantom".

He was speechless. His kidnapping had brought people out of their homes to camp outside his house for who knows how long on the hope that they'd see him return. It was times like these that he realised just how powerful Danny Phantom was. Not because he was a ghost. But because he was a symbol. A sign for hope, protection, safety. Danny gasped. Criminals might want to erase that icon from the public eye. Danny staggered back a step as the realisation hit him. He was kidnapped because he was Danny Phantom.

It sounded absurd when he thought that. But that was the reason. He was taken because of what he stood for. Not because of who or what he was. And if those people wanted ecto-energy, the best possible way was to remove the obstacle for ghosts entering the Real World, Phantom! Danny gasped again as the thought occurred to him. They controlled Rose. What if they had been able to control him too? Rose had been a strong tool, expert fighter with connections to the magical world. Danny didn't know if that second part had been known. But Phantom was way more powerful. He had seen for himself that his future self had been powerful enough to bring the world to its knees. It hadn't occurred to him before but that meant he would have been able to stop heroes such as Batman, Superman, Martian Manhunter and so many more. The teens sleeping in the Ops Centre below him. Danny blinked. Jake and the other magical protectors wouldn't have stood by either. In that future, he would have defeated Jake. Danny didn't dare think about what defeated meant. But having seen how ruthless and uncaring that version of himself was, he doubted that that creature would have let anyone survive.

Danny gulped fearfully. That was a frightening thought. He sat down on the roof of the Ops Centre with a gentle thud. Despite the revelations he had just had, he didn't know why those criminals wanted ghost energy. He knew it was a dangerous thing for them to have. He understood that it was powerful and so desirable. However he sensed that those criminals had a deeper reason, a plan, for that energy. Danny licked his lips worriedly as he recalled that Jimmy had built them a better power unit to contain that energy for them. If he had known that rescue would arrive so soon after the distress signal was sent, he would have told Jimmy to keep stalling. But he knew, in his heart, that the best option in that situation was to complete the unit to resume draining his energy.

"Danny? What's wrong?" he heard Sam mutter worriedly behind him as the access hatch softly clicked shut. He glanced over his shoulder.

"Sorry if I woke you," he whispered apologetically. Sam shook her head and settled beside him, suppressing a shiver in the chilled night air. Danny sighed and pulled his girlfriend close and rubbed her arm comfortingly to warm her up. He didn't feel the cold anymore.

"So, gonna tell me what's on your mind?" Sam pressed. Danny flashed her a small sad smile.

"I think I figured out why those people kidnapped me," Danny mumbled. Sam gasped. Danny glanced at her expectant face and sighed again.

"Remember when we met Clockwork?" Danny asked carefully.

"Yeah, he was warning you of your jerky future self," Sam instantly recalled.

"Ever wonder what happened to the heroes in that time? Batman, Superman, Robin, Kid Flash. What about Jake and Kim?" Danny continued softly. Sam frowned in concern.

"Remember how they controlled Rose? Sam… what if they had tried to control _me_?" Danny revealed despairingly. Sam blinked and frowned in thought.

"Danny they didn't. So why are you stressing about it?" Sam offered. Danny shook his head.

"Sam, I'm worried that that's why they took me. To control me and turn me into their weapon," Danny corrected.

"Danny, listen to me. That's a what if. Not a plan they tried to put into motion. What they did… was sick. They treated you like-like a cow and milked you of your energy. How would that let them control you?" Sam countered, anger at the injustice of the situation spilling into her voice. Danny nodded.

"I know. But what if that was step one Sam. Like Spud said, a bonus and a way to keep me captive. Sam I think they kidnapped me to get me out of the way long enough to get better access to full ghosts, maybe to dishearten people too. Phantom has become a symbol for so much good stuff. What if… when they got enough energy together from me and ghosts they planned to catch, they would have used that energy to power a machine to control me, turning me into their weapon?" Danny explained worriedly. Sam bit her lip as she understood how possible that plan had been. She could see why he was worried.

"Danny, it doesn't matter anymore. You're safe now," Sam decided. Danny hummed softly in agreement unconvincingly.

"Why don't we go back inside and get some sleep?" Sam suggested.

"I'm not tired Sam. Go ahead though. I'm not gonna go anywhere. I just wanted to come up here and star-gaze rather than staring at my ceiling all night," Danny replied. Sam snuggled closer to her boyfriend.

"Alright. I'll stay with you. I don't want to leave you alone for a second. Not after the last ten days," Sam murmured, closing her eyes. Danny smirked and glanced at his girlfriend, who despite her slight shivering was falling back to sleep. He shook his head fondly and gently pulled away and unbuttoned his pyjama top, draping it around her bare shoulders like a jacket. She quickly relaxed back into his side and he looked up at the stars, tracing his favourite constellations with his eyes.

 **So Danny thinks he knows why he and Jimmy were kidnapped. But is he right?**

 **What do you think?**

 **Let me know your thoughts and theories on the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	17. Chapter 17

Dawn came too soon in Danny's opinion. Sam had wrapped herself in his pyjama shirt and cuddled into his torso. Danny had long ago lay back on the Ops Centre roof. As the sun came up, he shifted from star-gazing to cloud watching. He listened to the sounds of his town waking up. Birds twittering in the trees around Fenton Works. The camp below came to life. Chattering and clattering as people woke up and started up hot plates and gas heaters for making tea and coffee and breakfast, wafting smells of bacon, eggs and sausages up to Danny and Sam. Danny sighed softly in happiness. It felt wonderful. He was perfectly at peace with Sam's soft breathing filling the moments of silence.

"Danny?!" Jazz screamed in the house. Danny rolled his eyes and huffed quietly in annoyance.

"Cue the overprotective sister lecture," he grumbled to himself. Sam frowned in her sleep and shuffled closer to Danny.

"Danny?! Where are you?!" Jazz shouted in the Ops Centre below him, met with a number of sleepy complaints. Danny sighed and knocked loudly on the roof beside him, knowing that the sound would alert Jazz to his location. Seconds later the access hatch slammed open.

"What are you doing up here?!" Jazz demanded.

"I was cloud watching," Danny answered calmly.

"Cloud watching? Since when do you watch clouds?" Jazz retorted in confusion.

"Well I was star-gazing first but then the sun came up," Danny added. Jazz raised an eyebrow and sat down beside her relaxing brother. She glanced at Sam who was still sleeping.

"Did you at least get some sleep?" Jazz asked. Danny shook his head, deciding to be honest.

"I wasn't tired Jazz. Trust me I tried. I was staring at my ceiling for like three hours before I gave up and came up here," Danny explained.

Jazz sighed. She fell quiet and heard the camp in front of Fenton Works clearing away for the day, making the street accessible again.

"I'm guessing you noticed those people outside our house," Jazz remarked. Danny nodded.

"I did. How long have they been there?" Danny confirmed, pinned down by his sleeping girlfriend who he wasn't prepared to wake up just yet.

"They started showing up the day after we announced you were missing. We waited until the next day before we told the press. We thought it should be public knowledge you see," Jazz informed him. Danny smiled and nodded.

"Jimmy mentioned that my kidnapping was in the news," Danny commented. Jazz chewed her lip lightly.

"You're not upset?" she ventured. Danny glanced at her before shaking his head.

"No. Of course not. I know things haven't been easy for you guys either recently," Danny assured. Jazz blinked.

"How?" she questioned worriedly.

"Jazz, have you seen yourself recently? You look like you've had nonstop exams all week or something with how stressed and tired you look. Dad's lost weight and mom looks worse than you. Even Dani looks like she's been through hell. Even though I didn't know that all those people were camping outside our house, which can't have been easy either. I know how famous I've become. I know making it public knowledge that I was missing would have caused a ton of problems," Danny told her. Jazz sighed.

"Oh. Sorry Danny. Things haven't been easy. You're right. Which is why you shouldn't have disappeared like that. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw you weren't in your room," Jazz retorted, making her displeasure known.

"I know Jazz. I could have gone for a flight you know. Gone to the park where star-gazing is easier. But I didn't. I honestly didn't think coming to the roof was so bad," Danny countered with annoyance. Despite having missed his sister, he really didn't want to start an argument. He hadn't been back a full day yet and Jazz was already lecturing him. Jazz huffed softly before reluctantly nodding.

"I'm sorry little brother. You just scared me. That's all. Hungry?" Jazz concluded. Danny offered her a small smile.

"A bit. And I'm sorry too Jazz. I didn't mean to scare anyone. I just couldn't sleep, that's all. It's probably just because my sleep patterns are all messed up from being kidnapped," Danny answered. Jazz smiled and got to her feet.

"Come down when you're ready. I'll cook breakfast. I'd prefer not to have to fight off my eggs and bacon," Jazz decided. Danny snorted.

He listened to Jazz make her way down into the Ops Centre, her muffled reassuring explanations filtering through the metal roof and walls. He waited a few minutes while he listened to the eleven guests to get ready and make their way down towards the kitchen. He gently jostled Sam and she groaned in sleepy annoyance.

"It's too early," she complained.

"Sorry Sam, but we can't spend the entire morning on the Ops Centre roof," he muttered gently. Sam scowled with closed eyes.

"I beg to differ," she mumbled. Danny laughed.

"Come on, Sam. I want my shirt back before we get caught up here," Danny chuckled. Sam moaned softly and stubbornly tugged his arm around her shoulders and settled back beside him to fall back to sleep.

"Sam please. Cloud watching isn't nearly as fun as star-gazing. Besides Jazz is waiting for us. She already freaked out this morning because I wasn't in my room," Danny pressed. Sam flung his arm off her and rolled onto her feet and huffed loudly in annoyance.

"Fine! Come on then. But if I'm grouchy today, it's your fault," she grumbled and stomped over to the access hatch, still open from Jazz.

"Sam, shirt please?" Danny called with a slight blush, getting to his feet. Sam blinked and shrugged off his pyjama shirt with a blush of her own and tossed it to him. She quickly made her way back into the house while Danny shrugged the top back on.

Danny smirked as he walked over to the access hatch. Despite Sam having tended to his more serious battle wounds before his secret was revealed, she still got embarrassed when he was shirtless around her. When injured all her focus was on his wound. But when they were alone and he wasn't injured but shirtless, it was completely different. Danny had no problem not wearing a shirt around Sam. Before they dated and the first couple of times he got injured he had gotten embarrassed, but since then it had never felt like a big deal. He wasn't shy about his body, especially since he started fighting ghosts and built up some muscle. But before his secret came out, he had to be careful as he had a few nasty scars and a geeky Fenton wasn't meant to have a muscular body. However he was aware of how it looked. Spending time alone together and returning not fully dressed.

He returned to his room and shut the door to get dressed. Tucker was already downstairs, probably stuffing his face before making his way to the town hall. He found some jeans, underwear and a t-shirt easily and got dressed. He then walked down into the kitchen.

"Morning Danny," Maddie greeted her son with a warm smile.

"Hey mom. Sleep okay?" he returned. Maddie grinned broadly and nodded, moving a chair out beside her for him to sit on. He smirked and dropped into the seat. His father, Kid Flash and Tucker were stuffing their faces while Sam rummaged around the kitchen cupboards for a more vegetarian-friendly breakfast. Jimmy was sitting at the table frowning in displeasure at Jack, Kid Flash and Tucker while nibbling at his own breakfast. Zatanna, Artemis, Rocket, Superboy, Jake and Spud were standing up eating. Miss Martian was helping Jazz cook and Robin and Aqualad were in line for a plate of food. Danielle wasn't down just yet but Danny knew that the girl was a heavy sleeper and was likely still in bed.

"Want to explain why you were on the roof this morning?" Maddie asked, her happy bright eyes tinged with concern. Danny shook his head slightly.

"Nothing to worry about mom. I couldn't sleep so I decided to star-gaze instead. My sleep patterns are probably just messed up from the last week and a bit. I feel fine," Danny explained. Maddie nodded slowly.

"Perhaps we should check that you are alright though," Maddie suggested.

"I think that would be best. There's no way of knowing the consequences of how having your ghost energy tampered with will affect you Danny," Jimmy interjected with a knowing nod. Danny sighed.

"I don't feel any different. I promise. I feel great actually. Thanks Jazz," Danny retorted, pausing to thank his sister as she placed a plate of eggs and bacon in front of him. He picked up some cutlery and began to eat.

"I'd feel better if we checked though Danny. Jimmy's right. I looked at the ghost containment cell before I went to bed last night. Danny that much power is dangerous. I just want to make sure that my son is alright," Maddie implored. Danny sighed and nodded.

"Alright mom," Danny relented. He hated going into the lab for a check-up. It was worse than the doctors because every time his parents had to take both a blood sample and ectoplasm sample and they always asked him to demonstrate his powers for them. It was why they knew the ghost containment cell could withstand a ghostly wail. Danielle also had these check-ups but they never had check-ups on the same day as the ordeal was exhausting.

Danny only ate half his breakfast before he felt full, pushing the leftovers towards his father who happily ate them. Maddie frowned worriedly at her son.

"Mom, I'm fine. I didn't eat much when those guys had me, I've probably just got a smaller appetite now," Danny assured her. Jimmy nodded slowly in understanding and agreement. Jazz and Miss Martian had just managed to sit down to their own breakfast, leaving a towering plate of food to the side for when Danielle emerged from her room, when the phone rang. Danny, being the closest to the door and first to finish eating, offered to answer the phone and grabbed it before Jazz could stop him, realising a moment too late that it was probably a phoney Danny Phantom sighting or a journalist.

"Hello?" Danny answered.

"Hello, is this Fenton Works?" a female voice asked.

"It is. Can I ask why you're calling?" Danny inquired politely.

"Oh, well. I found Danny Phantom and I was wondering if there was a reward," the voice explained. Danny blinked in surprise and glanced over his shoulder at the kitchen door, Jazz was in the doorway looking concerned.

"I'm sorry but that's not possible," Danny replied slowly.

"Why not? I'm telling you I've got Danny Phantom in my bathroom right now!" the woman growled defensively. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"It's not possible because this is Danny Phantom talking," Danny corrected sternly. The line went absolutely silent.

"Oh," the woman breathed.

"But while we're talking. Let me just clear up a second point. I'm _not_ rich. And frankly I'm disgusted that you tried to con money out of my family while they've been going through hell," Danny added angrily.

"I'm sorry Mr Phantom," the woman stuttered. Danny hummed angrily.

"Goodbye," Danny concluded stiffly and hung up the phone. He turned to Jazz.

"How many of those calls did you guys get?" he demanded. Jazz sighed and shrugged.

"I've lost count. At least one or two a day, usually more," Jazz admitted. Danny shook his head angrily. He stalked towards the front door.

"Danny! What are you doing?" Jazz exclaimed.

"Telling the world to stop looking for me, starting with those people on our doorstep," Danny answered.

"Danny, wait! Don't do this when you're angry. Cool off first!" Jazz begged worriedly. Danny put his hand on the door handle.

"Danny, what if you're not safe to be around?" Jazz inquired worriedly. Danny paused.

"What do you mean?" Danny asked.

"Jimmy explained that having had so much energy trapped inside you might have caused long-term problems. You mightn't be able to store energy in your body anymore. You might have injured your ghost half beyond repair. And what if… what if those criminals did something else to you. What if that needle didn't just take out your energy but injected in a poison or something. Danny don't do anything rash. Let us make sure you're alright," Jazz explained. Danny took a step back from the door and turned to his sister.

"I feel fine," Danny muttered.

"Danny… you haven't slept. You aren't even tired. You aren't eating as much as usual. You may feel fine, but Danny we're not so sure," Jazz replied carefully.

"Jazz, I told you guys. My appetite probably shrank and my sleeping habits must be screwed up," Danny retorted, he knew that she was right but he refused to think that it was a consequence of being held captive and having his ghost energy stolen. He was home. Everything was supposed to be fine. This was the part where he relaxed, recovered and made plans to go after the people that took him.

"Jazz, that woman, those people, tried to steal money from our family. They tried to take advantage of you guys when I was gone. That's not right!" Danny growled angrily.

"I'm not saying it was. Danny that can all wait. I can disconnect the phone. We had considered it but we couldn't be sure that you wouldn't have tried to call us. We've all been using my phone to communicate," Jazz reasoned. Danny bit his lip and glanced at the front door.

"Fine. I'll wait. But seriously Jazz I'm fine," Danny relented.

 **So things might not be as they seem.**

 **I have to admit, I love Danny's phone call. I dunno if you guys ever get those scam calls about fixing your computer, but my family does. So instead of hanging up, we just string them along for a bit. And I once told one of them that we didn't have a computer. It was hilarious. He just went quiet and then hung up. So that's the inspiration for Danny's call.**

 **What do you think? Is Danny fine, just a smaller appetite and screwed up sleep pattern. Or is there something wrong with the halfa?**

 **Let me know what you guys think**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	18. Chapter 18

Tucker left shortly after breakfast, requesting that the others keep him up to date. Danielle came down just before Tucker left and ate her reheated breakfast quickly. They then gathered in the lab. A few people, seeing the damaged ghost cell, flinched at the sight. Danny grabbed a stool and perched on it and waited for his parents to grab all their equipment.

"I'm telling you guys, I feel fine," he grumbled.

"It doesn't hurt to check," Robin retorted. Danny sighed. Maddie set her equipment down beside him and he obediently held out his arm for her to take a blood sample. She then motioned for him to change forms which he did, not noticing how much brighter his transformation rings were from normal. However Sam, Danielle, Jazz, Maddie and Jack noticed and frowned in concern. Maddie took an ectoplasm sample and sat down with both samples to run the usual check-up tests. Danny pulled on his jumpsuit sleeve and zipped it up once she was done. He sighed softly.

Jack hovered by his wife, taking down muttered findings and discussing them in hushed tones. Sam stood beside her boyfriend and tried to offer her support for him. He was radiating more cold than usual.

"Sweetie… can you make a ghost ray for me? Don't fire, just hold it," Maddie requested. Danny blinked but obeyed. Maddie picked up a device used to measure ecto-radiation and she held it over his ghost ray. She glanced at Jack.

"Elevated by two units," she reported. Jack nodded seriously and jotted down the note.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Danielle asked.

"We're just trying to figure that out dear," Maddie muttered distractedly as she sat down at the microscope again. Danny blinked but left the ghost ray in his hand.

"Mom, can I stop now?" Danny called after a minute. Maddie blinked and glanced at him before humming in confirmation. Danny dissipated the ghost ray and watched his parents with concern. Everyone could see that something was wrong.

"May I help?" Jimmy offered. Jack glanced at the ten year old before shrugging and allowing the boy genius to look over their findings. Jimmy frowned worriedly and stood beside Maddie and engaged her in a hushed conversation filled with scientific terms.

"I feel fine," Danny interjected worriedly. Jack glanced at his son and sighed softly.

"Son, there are side effects of you being forced to wear that collar," Jack began carefully.

"What side effects?" Jazz pressed. Maddie and Jimmy paused in their conversation and turned to the rest of the room.

"Sweetie… because your body adjusted itself during your kidnapping to producing more energy… you are still over normal energy readings," Maddie resumed uncertainly, almost reluctantly.

"Which means, as you get your energy from eating and sleeping, you don't need to do those things anymore. Not without exhausting yourself first. You still need food for your human half as it needs nutrients but you don't require it for energy," Jimmy explained.

"How do we fix it?" Sam asked on Danny's behalf.

"We don't know," Maddie admitted.

"It's a natural thing for Danny's body to do. It's like how we get used to waking up early if we force ourselves, or our body needs more and more exercise as we become accustomed to a certain amount to make a difference. Danny may never be able to reverse this or it might diminish on its own over time. Right now, it's impossible to tell," Jimmy added.

"But don't worry son, we're not gonna give up yet," Jack quickly assured. Danny frowned worriedly and dropped his gaze to his hands. He felt fine. But those people had done more to him than he realised. He might never be able to sleep again! It mightn't be necessarily something he loved but now there was a chance he mightn't be able… he felt terrible. It sickened him. He shut his eyes to stop everyone around him seeing them pulse brighter in his anger. Cheshire and the people she worked for. He wanted to make them pay! They stole his energy, humiliated him, kidnapped him, put his family through hell and now they'd made it potentially impossible for him to sleep ever again. He wasn't used to being in this terribly helpless position. He hated it.

"Danny, we're so sorry," Danielle whispered, guilt for not saving him before he was kidnapped returning full force. Danny shook his head and took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.

"It's not your fault Dani. It's not any of your fault," he replied in a forced calm voice.

"Danny, we'll help you and we will stop those criminals," Aqualad offered. Danny opened his eyes and turned to the team leader.

"I want to be involved," he decided.

"Danny-" Robin began.

"No Robin. I want to be involved. I don't care if it's not advisable or whatever. They did this to me. They're planning to use ghost energy. This is my business," Danny interrupted sternly. Robin glanced at Aqualad nervously before the Atlantean nodded in agreement.

"Alright. But depending on your parents' and Jimmy's findings, I will determine the role you play in stopping this plot," Aqualad compromised. Danny clenched his jaw and glanced at his parents before reluctantly nodding in agreement. He understood the stipulation. His parents might find that Danny could no longer regulate how he released his energy making his attacks too powerful and cause unintended injury or damage to people or property.

Maddie and Jack took another few readings from Danny, taking his core temperature, human body temperature, pulse and breathing rate, making sure that the collar hadn't caused other health issues. Then Jack, Maddie and Jimmy stayed in the lab to examine the data while the others went upstairs to the living room. Danny told them all his theory on why he was kidnapped and Robin and Aqualad explained what happened and their findings from the previous Hallowe'en, which unfortunately wasn't much. Mostly they just confirmed their suspicions that the Light were behind the entire event. Sam, Jazz and Danielle also informed Danny on everything that happened in his absence. At Danny's insistence, Jazz also explained how many phone calls Fenton Works had received during his absence.

An hour later, Maddie, Jack and Jimmy decided that Danny was safe to be around but he needed to be careful with how much force he put behind his attacks in a fight. With his elevated energy levels, it could mean that he would be stronger than he realises. Jazz told Tucker the verdict. Then Tucker offered to set up a press conference so that Danny could reveal that he was safe and sound. Danny immediately agreed, happy to start putting this entire ordeal behind him and his family. It was decided that Young Justice alone would be given credit for his rescue, Jake and Spud didn't want their involvement to be public knowledge. Jimmy would also give a statement publicly.

It took less than two hours for Tucker to spread the word. It was widely understood that any news on Danny Phantom would be released by either the Fenton's or Mayor Tucker Foley. Danielle and Danny flew invisibly to the town hall while the others split up between the Bioship and the Fenton assault vehicle, Maddie driving to avoid bad publicity and as many road accidents as possible.

"Hey Danny. Jazz told me how you mightn't be able to sleep anymore. Sucks," Tucker sympathised with his friend as they waited for the others to reach Tucker's office. Danny sighed and nodded.

"Yeah. I didn't want to admit that I wasn't fine. I feel normal. But I doubt Jimmy and mom and dad are wrong about this. I just hope it's only temporary," Danny muttered.

"Maybe you could try to exhaust yourself before bed. Remember Jimmy did say you don't need to sleep for energy for now, but if you exhaust yourself then you will," Danielle suggested. Danny hummed in thought.

"Maybe. I'm not sure about that for now though. What if by doing that I make this permanent?" Danny replied. Tucker nodded in understanding.

"Mayor Foley, you have visitors," Tucker's secretary announced through the phone on the mayor's desk. Tucker crossed the room and pressed a button before calling to send them in.

The office quickly filled up. Tucker nibbled his lip, he needed to start whittling down the group for the conference. Danny was a must, Jimmy would be good too, publicly announce that the kid was safe. Then there was Young Justice. They needed at least one representative if not more.

"Ok, can only the people talking at the conference stay here please? The rest should go and wait for the conference to start. So Danny, Jimmy and you guys decide among yourselves," Tucker instructed. The group nodded, Jazz hugging Danny and whispering in his ear to keep a cool head. They knew that his emotions could affect his powers and right now with his elevated energy levels, it could be dangerous. It was decided that Aqualad and Robin would talk during the conference. Aside from Kid Flash, they were the most recognisable of the group and Aqualad was the leader and Robin was their tech support and second-in-command. The rest left the office and found places outside, the rest of Young Justice keeping the Fentons a safe distance from the paparazzi.

Tucker turned to the remaining four. He adjusted his glasses and turned to Danny.

"Do you know how you want to do this? Any idea what you're gonna say?" Tucker asked. Danny hummed in thought and shrugged.

"Not really. I don't want to make this some kind of show and be dramatic about it but I don't want to cause chaos by not leading up to everyone finding out I'm… back," Danny replied, stopping himself from saying alright. He wasn't alright. He was still recovering from his ordeal. There was a real possibility that he would never fully recover. Tucker nodded in understanding. He could see that the news that there were still consequences of his kidnapping was affecting Danny.

"I could open the conference and then Robin and Aqualad can take point and explain what happened yesterday. Then Danny and Jimmy could talk. Jimmy should probably go first because Danny's time at the microphone will probably be a while. Sound good?" Tucker suggested.

"I don't want it to be public knowledge that my energy is still weird. And I'm not sure I want it to be widely known that the Light were stealing my energy either. The Guys in White are still out there and if they hear that, they might get ideas and try something," Danny interjected.

"Perfectly understandable. But we do need to tell them something. We need to give a reason for your kidnapping," Aqualad decided.

"They wanted me out of the way, hoping to start a war with the Ghost Zone," Danny offered.

"Why kidnap Jimmy then?" Robin questioned.

"Technical issues with stolen Guys in White weapons. Everyone already knows I got kidnapped while investigating the Guys in White, it's not a stretch to involve their tech," Danny replied. The group nodded.

"Think you can do that Jimmy?" Tucker asked.

"I'm not a good actor but I can try. It's not too far from the truth though, I just have to not mention what they made me work on," Jimmy reasoned to himself.

"If they try to push you to be more specific, just say you've been sworn to secrecy and we'll cover for you with the rest," Robin added. Jimmy smiled gratefully.

Their plans were made, the cameras were set up outside where a stage had been erected. A podium with a microphone had been set up. The four speakers would wait just inside the Town Hall before being called. Tucker hadn't specified what the conference was before calling the press, as they wanted to announce Danny's rescue as carefully as possible to prevent any chaos. In the gathered crowd no one noticed a pale teenager wearing a dark suit with dark malicious eyes grinning excitedly in anticipation at the stage.

 **Who is that mysterious person!?**

 **So, yep, Danny's not in perfect health after all.**

 **Any thoughts on what might happen later in the story?**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story and any theories you have.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	19. Chapter 19

Jake shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed softly. They'd been waiting for twenty minutes for the conference to start and he was starting to get impatient. Spud was entertaining himself by playing with a handful of grass he ripped out of a crack in the pavement. Jake wasn't sure what the teen was doing but it was occupying him so the American dragon wasn't too worried. Artemis and Kid Flash had made it clear to Spud that they were a couple by now, Artemis having misinterpreted Spud's interest and set him straight. Jake had also learned that Miss Martian and Superboy were in a relationship.

The chatter throughout the crowd dimmed down as the conference's scheduled time approached. Two o'clock came and Mayor Tucker Foley emerged from the Town Hall alone, garbed in a neat suit. Flashing lights signalled the press photographers taking pictures. Tucker reached the microphone within a minute and cleared his throat loudly, silencing any remaining conversations.

"Good afternoon Amity Park and visiting journalists. Eleven days ago, my best friend and world hero Danny Phantom was kidnapped during an investigation into an abandoned Guys in White base. However today, the search is over. Danny Phantom is home and safe. He's here and he will be talking to you soon, but I have two representatives from the rescue team here to talk first and explain the situation first. I give you Aqualad and Robin," Tucker declared. The crowd erupted into shouted questions but Tucker ignored them and turned to the Town Hall as Aqualad and Robin walked out on to the stage, backs straight and faces set into serious expressions.

Aqualad took point and stood at the podium, Robin to his left, ready to jump in and help if necessary, and Tucker stepped back but remained on the stage. Aqualad held up his arms for silence and swept his calm gaze over the crowd. Despite being a covert team, they were still well acquainted with dealing with the press. Especially Aqualad due to his position in Atlantis as their king's apprentice and right hand man.

"Danny Phantom helped an investigation last year that we believe is connected to these recent events. As fellow heroes and personal friends, we joined the search as soon as we were informed of the situation. Yesterday evening, we had a break in the case and discovered a distress signal that was provided by James Isaac Neutron. James was kidnapped three days ago from his home by hired mercenaries in order to work on a technical issue Danny's kidnappers ran into during his captivity. Now Danny nor do we want to share what technical issues as this is an ongoing investigation. Also certain things learned during Danny's captivity could endanger himself or other ghosts further. Any questions?" Aqualad began.

Hands shot up throughout the crowd. Aqualad nodded to a reporter near the front.

"Who was on this team?" the man shouted to the hero.

"A number of individuals were involved, most personal contacts of Danny and his friends and family. I am not at liberty to name all involved," Aqualad replied.

"What did you do to search for Danny Phantom and James Neutron?" another reported called.

"During James's kidnapping, he issued a distress signal. Unfortunately we were too late to respond to it in time. However Robin set up a programme to monitor the airwaves for that distress signal or a similar one. We also searched for any clues at both kidnapping sites and followed up on them to the best of our ability," Aqualad answered, motioning to Robin beside him.

"What did the kidnappers want with Danny Phantom?" a female journalist questioned.

"We believe they wanted to kidnap Danny in order to instigate a war with the Ghost Zone, however we cannot be sure until our investigation is completed," Aqualad lied.

After a few more questions, Tucker stepped forward and asked for Jimmy to come out and issue a statement.

"Hi, I'm James Neutron. Er, I'm fine. And thanks to these guys for finding me and Danny," Jimmy started uncertainly.

"How did you send out a distress signal during your captivity?" a reporter inquired.

"The kidnappers wanted me to fix a technical issue and while I was working I had access to a number of tools and equipment. I was able to construct a machine to emit a distress signal then," Jimmy answered.

"Were you in contact with Danny Phantom at all during your kidnapping?" a journalist wondered.

"Yes. We were kept in the same cell," Jimmy admitted. A number of reporters shouted questions but Tucker interjected.

"Thank you James. If you could stand beside Robin and Aqualad now. We'll get you back home as soon as possible. Now Danny Phantom," Tucker announced, he could see that Jimmy was getting overwhelmed. Jimmy breathed a sigh of relief and stood beside Robin.

Danny stepped out, in his ghost form, and took the podium.

"Thanks for setting this up Tucker. I don't think I need to make a statement. So any questions?" Danny remarked. Danny rolled his eyes as journalists clamoured for his attention.

"One at a time please," he called.

"Mr Phantom, can you elaborate on the investigation you were involved with prior to your kidnapping?" a reporter asked.

"Since I learned of the Guys in White organisation's illegal activities last September, I have been leading the investigation into finding bases, clearing out any captured ghosts and shutting down any remaining activity. Last week, I was in an abandoned base looking for clues of their activities when I accidentally activated a trap by touching a pressure pad in a cupboard. The trap was specially designed to prevent me escaping. Sam and my sister Danielle were with me at the time but were unable to prevent me being taken. There is nothing more to say. I was taken through an unknown back entrance and forced into a car, my powers suppressed by my kidnappers," Danny answered calmly.

"What did your kidnappers do to you during your captivity?" a reporter wondered.

"Honestly, not much and what they did do is confidential for my and other ghosts or halfas' safety. But as you can see I am uninjured," Danny replied evasively. A number of questions followed, ranging from where he was kept to how he was rescued, most answers were vague or lies in order to hide what truly happened. He was also asked who was on the rescue team and search team but Danny merely replied that he wasn't going to name names without consent from those people first. While he was talking, the dark teenager in the crowd was muttering under his breath and had taken out a crystal ball filled with pulsing green and blue energy.

"Before I go, I'd like to mention one thing. While I was gone, I have been made aware of how much the general public hounded my family. People rang the house with false sightings of me in order to get a cash reward. The last week and a half has been difficult for my family and I'm furious and sickened that people tried to rob from us, because that was what you were doing. You were conning my family out of money we do _not_ have. Unfortunately I have no numbers, addresses or names in order to personally visit those people and give them a piece of my mind. But you should all be ashamed of yourselves. And as for the reporters and journalists that rang my family constantly, you were just as bad. You both potentially interfered with the investigation and search for me and caused my family excessive stress and hardship. I understand that many people were concerned about me, and I'm touched. I am. But I am also disappointed and upset that so many people caused my family difficulties and unnecessary hardships," Danny concluded, giving the crowd stern scowl.

Tucker stepped forward and took the microphone again and Danny stepped back to stand beside Jimmy, folding his arms, an annoyed, slightly angered scowl on his face.

"Any further questions?" Tucker asked. There were a few raised hands. The dark teen in the crowd finished his soft chanting and grinned as the energy in the crystal ball turned black and on the stage Danny winced and put a hand to his temple.

"Danny, you alright?" Robin whispered worriedly.

"Ye-yeah. I think so. Just got a really bad headache. I'll be fine," Danny muttered. Robin nodded slowly, accepting the answer but kept a worried eye on the halfa.

Jake and Zatanna gasped simultaneously at the same time as Danny winced, feeling a rush of power sweep through the square. They turned to each other, eyes wide with shock. They both felt it.

"Did you pin down what caused that?" Zatanna whispered. Jake shook his head.

"No. It was too sudden and widespread. You?" Jake muttered back. She shook her head.

"What's up?" Sam asked, noticing that Jake and Zatanna looked worried about something.

"We felt a disturbance in the air. Definitely magical and it was powerful," Zatanna answered softly.

"Is that bad?" Sam pressed worriedly.

"We don't know. But we don't know where it came from or what it did. That kind of power had to have done something," Jake muttered. Zatanna nodded in agreement.

"Would you be able to track down what happened?" Sam suggested hopefully. Zatanna and Jake turned to each other.

"I bet Fu could but by the time he got here, the trail would be gone," Jake admitted. Zatanna took a deep breath and shut her eyes in concentration, mumbled backwards words under her breath. Sam and Jake waited, ignoring Tucker's finishing comments on the stage. Zatanna opened her eyes and frowned.

"It's weird. It feels powerful but I can't pin it down exactly. I'll need some time," Zatanna reported. Sam and Jake nodded, disappointed but they understood that the magician was trying her best.

They looked up as applause echoed around the square as the crowd clapped for the Young Justice representatives, and by extension, everyone that helped to find Danny. Then the five people on the stage walked back into the Town Hall. The group walked inside the building a few minutes later as the crowd dissipated, Spud stumbled over his shoelaces. Shoving his grass creation into his pocket, he knelt down to tie the laces. He blinked when he heard a cat meow close to him. Spud looked up to see a unique orange cat staring at him. Spud smiled at the cat.

"Hey. I'm not usually into cats but you look pretty cool. I'm Spud," Spud greeted the cat with a smirk, standing up having tied his laces. The cat blinked uncaringly at him.

"Spud! Come on!" Jake shouted over his shoulder. Spud glanced at his friend before turning back to the cat.

"Er, gotta go. See you around," Spud muttered and ran after the others.

The cat watched the boy go before strolling to a nearby alleyway where he joined a dark teenager holding a crystal ball filled with swirling black energy.

"Well that is interesting eh Teekl. The American dragon _and_ those baby heroes. Seems Phantom has some powerful friends. Good thing we have this right?" the teenager sniggered, gesturing to the crystal ball before opening a swirling red portal that both boy and cat disappeared into.

 **Any guesses who that mystery teen is? What about the crystal ball?**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far. Any theories on what's going to happen?**

 **I've added a new page to my website - requests. Check it out! There's a link in my bio.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	20. Chapter 20

"There was a pulse of powerful magic during the press conference," Zatanna informed the group once they all gathered in a board meeting room across from Tucker's office. They had decided to go there instead of the cosy mayor's office due to their group's number.

"What does that mean?" Jazz asked.

"And magic doesn't exist," Jimmy interjected sceptically. Artemis scowled at the ten year old.

"You can take that one babe," she muttered, elbowing Kid Flash in the ribs. Kid Flash groaned and turned to Jimmy.

"Kid, magic's real. Trust me. I didn't believe in it either. But then I put a magic gold helmet on and got possessed by a lord of order and talked to a dead guy," Kid Flash informed the boy.

"You mean a ghost," Danny remarked, now in his human form.

"Not really. He was just kinda bonded to the helmet since there was no one to take over his job when he died and he had the helmet for so long," Kid Flash corrected.

"Yeah. A ghost. A trapped spirit," Danny retorted with a raised eyebrow. Kid Flash waved at him dismissively. Danny rolled his eyes.

" _Anyway_ back to the point at hand. I can't track down the source of the magic. I need to put myself into a trance and properly search for it, preferably here or outside in the square," Zatanna resumed.

"Can you explain what you mean by a pulse of magic?" Spud encouraged curiously.

"As I'm a magician. I'm connected to the magical world. Not as strongly as other erm magical beings. We're kind of the bridge between the non-magical and magical worlds. Aware of magical beings but rarely in contact with any. You'd be surprised what you see in big cities with that kind of sensitivity. Anyway. Because I'm in touch with that. I can feel disturbances in the natural order of magic, especially if I'm in the area. During the press conference, there was a rush of power. It's hard to explain. It's like getting hit by a wave of invisible air that doesn't affect anything. But that kind of power had to have been a spell or a magical ritual of some kind," Zatanna explained.

Robin glanced at Danny, before recalling the halfa's sudden headache during the press conference.

"Was it after Danny finished his part?" he asked. Zatanna and Jake stared at the boy wonder.

"It was," Zatanna confirmed, stunned.

"Danny got a headache right then. It came on suddenly," Robin elaborated and turned to the halfa. Danny blinked and saw everyone staring at him.

"What? It was just a headache," Danny replied.

"Do you feel any different?" Zatanna inquired worriedly. The halfa shook his head.

"No. The headache's gone now anyway. I'm fine," Danny answered. Zatanna chewed her lip worriedly.

"Mind if I check for any magical traces on you?" she requested. Danny huffed softly in annoyance but stood up and walked over to her.

"If you must. Why can't any of you take my word on these things?" Danny grumbled.

"Because you're usually wrong," Sam told him with a small smirk, worry in her eyes.

Zatanna got to her feet and put her hand on Danny's forehead and began chanting softly under her breath with backwards words. Danny blinked in surprise but didn't pull away, folding his arms while he waited for Zatanna's verdict. Two minutes of nonstop chanting later, Zatanna dropped her hand and frowned slightly in confusion.

"Nothing. No magical traces as far as I can see. Sorry Danny," Zatanna concluded. Danny smiled and returned to his seat, shrugging as he walked and calmly assured Zatanna it was fine.

"You're welcome to uh trance or whatever in my office. Is that close enough? You won't be interrupted in there," Tucker offered. Zatanna smiled gratefully.

"Thanks Tucker. The closer I am the better because I don't have stretch my senses further than necessary. But your office is fine. If it's alright, I'd like to do it now. The sooner we know what that magical surge was, the better," Zatanna accepted before taking her leave.

Everyone turned to Young Justice, Sam watching her boyfriend worriedly. She didn't like that they were in the dark about almost everything and Danny seemed to be the target for everything.

"What's the next step then? I mean, we're gonna track down the monsters that kidnapped my son right?" Maddie wondered. Aqualad sighed.

"It may not be that simple Mrs Fenton. While that would be the desired action, the Light are elusive. And they have agents everywhere. Mostly in the higher classes. We've been trying to track down and trap the Light since New Year's and the League has been trying for longer. We will try to get justice for you both, but we might have to settle for foiling their plans," Aqualad reasoned, nodding apologetically to Danny and Jimmy.

Danny nodded in understanding while Jimmy frowned in thought, not happy that the people who kidnapped them mightn't be forced to answer to their crimes.

"Why not?" Jimmy whined softly.

"Jimmy, I think the Light are a bit like Vlad. Any win for our side, isn't necessarily a loss on theirs. We have to take our victories where we can. If that's just showing them that their current plan will never work then, we have to settle. It's just the way things are sometimes Jimmy," Danny commented, glancing at Aqualad, looking for confirmation which he received in the form of a nod.

"Any ideas on their plan then?" Tucker prompted hopefully. Danny sighed and swept a hand through his hair.

"Whatever their plan is, they needed my energy or at least ghost energy to do it. And a lot of it if their orders to Jimmy are anything to go by," Danny informed them.

"If this plan is anything like their plan last year, then they might try again to get you Danny," Robin pointed out. Danny nodded in understanding, the thought had occurred to him.

"I'll watch my back. Don't worry," Danny assured the room.

"Until we're sure that this has been resolved, I think we should have a few new rules son. No more investigating Guys in White bases," Jack decided. Danny scowled and opened his mouth to argue that he had to be at those places to get clues for any future dangers, like Project White Flower.

"I agree. And no more patrols alone, or fighting ghosts," Maddie added.

"I also think we should have at least one person with Danny as much as possible," Jazz interjected with a worried glance at her brother. Danny folded his arms and slumped in his seat in annoyance.

"Do you think they'd try to poison Danny? We might need to improve security for the kitchen. Can't hurt to tweak our security systems to include human intruders too," Jack commented to his wife. Maddie nodded in agreement.

"Good idea. And I think we should put a tracker on Danny, just in case they do get him so that we can find him again," Maddie agreed. Danny huffed loudly.

"Hello!? Right here. I don't need all that extra protection. Now I know that those guys are after me, I'll just be careful. And avoid little blinking red lights in cupboards. And I am not having a bodyguard or a tracker on me," Danny retorted sharply.

"Danny, they aren't bad ideas. The Light are resourceful. You need to be extra careful, there's no harm in taking special precautions for the time being," Artemis reasoned.

"You guys mightn't ever catch the Light. How long do I have to be in some screwy kind of protection programme? A week? A month? A year? The rest of my life? No thanks. I'm not gonna run scared from these guys," Danny replied firmly.

"Danny, we're worried about you. Will you at least agree to some of those things? At least until your energy levels out?" Sam implored worriedly. Danny glanced at her.

"What if it doesn't?" he countered realistically.

"Until you become accustomed to it then at the very least. Right now, your fighting style will be off balance. You'll be too strong or pulling back in fights. Take these precautions until you learn how to compensate, if your energy doesn't return to normal levels," Robin proposed instead. Danny sighed but agreed reluctantly.

"Fine. Dani can join me on patrols or ghost fights, I'm not sitting out though. And I guess I can agree to having a tracker. And the "bodyguard" thing, as long as it doesn't get stupid," Danny relented. The group nodded with slight relieved smiles.

"Great. We're still improving our security systems though. It's probably a good idea even without all this going on," Maddie added. Danny rolled his eyes but didn't object. Rocket offered to stay with Tucker and Zatanna at the Town Hall while Zatanna looked into that magical power surge. The rest returned to Fenton Works. The group of people camping outside the house were packing their things up but they all paused when the Fenton assault vehicle pulled up and started cheering Danny when he came into view. Danny nervously smiled and waved before he was roped into sitting down to a cup of tea with a young couple that he apparently saved shortly after the disasteroid which led to them getting together. Sam smirked and joined him as they started their new buddy rule.

The others went inside and Maddie and Miss Martian made the group plenty of sandwiches. While they ate their sandwiches and discussed security improvements and the best ways to put a tracker on Danny, Danny and Sam walked through the gradually decreasing camp. Danny politely refusing any offered meals as he wasn't hungry in the slightest. Sam glanced worried at him every time. Eventually they reached the front door and left the group of loyal fans behind to resume packing up and leaving, finally returning home.

The rest of the day was spent causally around Fenton Works. Jimmy, Jack and Maddie shut themselves in the lab to research more into Danny's elevated energy problem, calling Danny down three times to run tests that they hoped would help them to discover a potential cure. Jazz ended up talking with Robin about psychology as the boy wonder was well versed in criminology and people behaviour due to his connection to Batman. Spud, Jake, Sam, Danielle and Danny, when he wasn't called to the lab, started a video game tournament that Miss Martian, Superboy and Aqualad watched. Artemis took the time to go through her quiver and restocking her arrows while Kid Flash went from room to room looking for things to occupy himself with.

 **So, publicly, things are settling down. But everyone involved is still tense and ready for trouble.**

 **Any guesses on what that magical surge was?**

 **This chapter explained a plot hole in the previous fanfic for why Zatara and Zatanna didn't instantly recognise Jake but did recognise that he was a magical creature. So they know about magical creatures but aren't part of their community.**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	21. Chapter 21

It was night. Zatanna wasn't able to track down the source of the magical surge unfortunately. Jake and Spud offered to sleep-over in Danny's room that night as Tucker's parents wanted to spend some time with their son now that the crisis of Danny's kidnapping was apparently over. Spud had called his parents to say that Jake and he went to a skateboard competition in Jersey with Jake's non-existent uncle and told his girlfriend, Stacey, the same. They had all started to realise that Spud wasn't in New York. At her parents' insistence, Sam was also forced to go home for the night. Both of Danny's friends had insisted on staying at Fenton Works as much as possible during Danny's kidnapping, so much so that both parents had actually started to miss their children. Young Justice and Jimmy were back in the Ops centre for the night, Jazz, Danielle and Danny's parents in their own beds. They didn't want to take Jimmy home until they were certain he wasn't a target anymore, or at least until everything calmed down.

Danny, on the other hand, was stuck still unable to sleep due to his elevated energy problem. Knowing now that it wasn't because he was stressed, he knew stargazing wasn't going to help. Therefore he decided to occupy himself with going through his ghost files and making sure that everything was up to date. It was a long and boring job but he had nothing better to do and he didn't want to lay in bed all night staring at a ceiling remembering his captivity. Jake and Spud had offered to stay up with him, going so far as suggesting a rota so both boys could get some sleep but keep Danny company. Danny simply refused. He didn't want his situation to be a big deal. Besides this job would take some time and he really had been meaning to do it for a few months.

The only sounds in Danny's room were the soft sleepy murmurs from Spud, something about potatoes, and the occasional click of a mouse or tapping of keyboard keys. The only light was from his computer and the burnt orange light from the street seeping through the crack in between the curtains. The clock clicked one and unknown to the town of Amity Park, Cheshire and a teenager with an orange cat appeared outside Fenton Works.

"You sure that crystal ball will work? I don't want to face Phantom so soon if you're wrong," Cheshire grumbled, placing a wary hand over the ecto-gun in a holster on her hip. The teenager sniggered.

"Of course. It's a variation on blood magic. He's bonded to the crystal ball now. We didn't even need to come here to do this," the teenager assured.

"Then why are we here Klarion," Cheshire growled in annoyance.

"Just to make sure the spell is fully functional. They do have a magician on their side. And a dragon. We need to make sure that they didn't remove the spell. I doubt they could, it would be nearly impossible to sense. But better safe than sorry," Klarion retorted with a shrug.

"Whatever. Let's get this over with," Cheshire relented softly, keeping her hand on the weapon and her other near her ecto-enhanced knife hidden in her belt in case Phantom got the drop on her. She would never admit it, but her recent encounter with the halfa had startled her, not scared. Never scared. But he had been fast and powerful, without his powers. She knew not to take him lightly.

Klarion chuckled at the green clad assassin and pulled the crystal ball out of his pocket. Cheshire stared at the grapefruit sized ball of black swirling energy with interest, hidden by her mask. Klarion cleared his throat and put the crystal ball close to his lips.

"Phantom? I know you can hear me. Would you be so kind and let us into your family lab? Discretely," Klarion requested, his voice holding a note of demand. In his room Danny flinched and put a hand to his head, his eyes pulsed pure black before clearing to reveal a glaze look on his face. Danny calmly stood up and quietly left his room, stepped carefully around Jake and Spud's sleeping bags. They had hoped that Danny would get some sleep and so they left his bed empty. Silently, Danny walked downstairs and unlocked the front door, turning off the security systems as he did so.

He didn't even blink as Klarion and Cheshire stepped inside the house and wordlessly led the way to the lab in the basement. Cheshire followed Klarion warily as the Witch Boy calmly strolled through the family home completely at ease. They descended the stairs into the lab and Klarion turned to the Danny and lifted the crystal ball for the halfa to see.

"Phantom, until I release you, you will obey all verbal commands I or Cheshire give you. Understood?" Klarion ordered. The halfa nodded silently, his eyes still glazed as they pulsed black.

"What's up with his eyes?" Cheshire wondered out loud curiously.

"It signifies that the command has been transmitted. Every time I use this thing, it's like a new spell is cast," Klarion explained casually as he put the crystal ball in his pocket and surveyed the lab with mild interest. Cheshire carefully approached the halfa and slowly circled him curiously.

"Sit," she ordered and Danny instantly sat on the ground. Cheshire smirked behind her mask.

"I like him obedient. Will he remember this?" Cheshire commented.

"I can order him to forget. Don't worry, we have nothing to worry about," Klarion answered as he leafed through a few pages of findings Danny's parents had on his current condition.

"What were you doing before letting us in?" Cheshire asked, crouching to Danny's level as he had yet to stand up. Danny blinked.

"Answer my question," Cheshire commanded as she realised that the halfa wasn't going to answer.

"Going through my ghost files," Danny replied in an emotionless, monotone voice. Cheshire blinked, surprised and slightly unsettled by his voice.

"Why? Answer all questions," Cheshire inquired.

"I can't sleep. I had to do something so I did that. I've been meaning to go through them for a while," Danny elaborated in his almost dead voice.

"Looks like Phantom has a health issue," Klarion remarked, waving a page at Cheshire.

"What do you mean?" Cheshire pressed curiously, turning away from Danny, confident that the halfa was completely under their control.

"The collar we put on him trapped his energy right? But because he had it on for so long, his body has increased his energy levels. As a result, he doesn't need to sleep or eat for that energy," Klarion explained, skimming over the written notes.

"Huh? That's a good thing I guess. This late night visit won't be noticed," Cheshire muttered. Klarion grinned as a thought occurred to him.

"Why don't we take Phantom out for a test run?" Klarion suggested with dark excitement in his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Cheshire inquired.

"We need ghosts for ghost energy. Phantom can get them for us," Klarion pointed out with a cruel grin.

"Is that a good idea Klarion? How strong is our control of him? Besides, we don't have any equipment," Cheshire retorted warily. Klarion raised an eyebrow and swept a hand around him.

"Ghost hunter's lab. Duh," Klarion reminded her.

"We don't have collars ready," Cheshire recalled.

"Phantom, how do you contain ghosts?" Klarion unexpectedly called.

"Fenton thermos," Danny instantly answered.

"How many ghosts does it hold and can it hold them for a long time?" Klarion questioned.

"As far as I know it can hold any ghost for however long needed. And I've never counted how many ghosts fit in a thermos, but the size of ghost does have an impact. Big ghosts fill the thermos faster than smaller ones," Danny replied obediently, his voice still emotionless.

Klarion grinned as he grabbed two thermoses, throwing one to Cheshire.

"Phantom, where can we find a lot of ghosts?" Klarion requested.

"Ghost Zone," Danny informed him.

"Take us there and help us capture as many ghosts as we wish," Klarion ordered. Danny stood up and crossed the room to where the Spectre Speeder point two sat. He phased into the vehicle and started it up. Klarion bounced excitedly over to the vehicle, Teekl following calmly. Cheshire bit her lip nervously before grabbing a second ecto-gun, just in case and entering the Speeder as well. Danny robotically opened the Fenton portal point two and drove the Speeder through the swirling green gateway.

Cheshire stared at the ghost dimension in awe while Klarion scurried to the front and scanned the green expanse of the Ghost Zone for any ghosts he could capture.

"Where are the ghosts?" Klarion demanded, slightly whiny and disappointed there weren't any yet.

"The Ghost Zone is massive. Ghosts have homes where they reside. Chances are they're there," Danny explained in his monotone voice.

"Take us somewhere with lots of ghosts," Klarion urged excitedly.

"Wait! Make sure it's somewhere we can go safely," Cheshire added hastily. Danny nodded and turned the Speeder towards Walker's prison.

"Where are you taking us?" Klarion asked curiously.

"Walker's prison. Most of the ghosts are in cells. And there are plenty for you to take. The only problem will be the guards and Walker," Danny answered.

"Good ghost," Klarion praised condescendingly, grinning in anticipation. Cheshire swallowed nervously before checking how to operate the gun she stole from Fenton Works. Unlike Klarion, she didn't have full faith in the crystal ball's hold over the halfa.

Before long, the Speeder arrived at the prison. Danny opened the door and walked through the prison doors without going intangible. Klarion happily followed, eager to hurt some ghosts. Cheshire followed slightly more cautiously but they were inside the prison undetected. Klarion sniggered and saw the rows upon rows of locked cells.

"This feels too easy," Cheshire mumbled. Klarion waved a dismissive hand and strolled calmly to the nearest cell and sucked a ghost into his thermos.

"Maybe, but I don't care," Klarion retorted.

"It's easy for you! You can make a portal and escape whenever. I have to go the long way," Cheshire snarled but slipped the gun into her belt and took out the thermos she had and copied Klarion.

"Phantom, make sure we're not interrupted. If you see a guard or Walker, attack," Kalrion ordered casually over his shoulder. Danny nodded obediently and changed into his ghost form and began to look around for any trouble.

Cheshire glanced at the halfa before she resumed capturing the trapped ghosts. She had to admit to herself, the halfa had taken them to a lot of ghosts where they were relatively safe as the ghosts couldn't fight back, however that didn't stop Klarion sadistically blasting the ghosts with his chaotic magic and laughing with glee. Within a few minutes, the numerous cells were cleared out and both thermoses were full.

"Phantom! Take us back now. Our thermoses are full," Klarion called to the teen, sounding slightly disappointed. Danny tore his vigilant gaze from the corridors and drifted back to the ground. He reverted back to human and led the way back to the Speeder.

Cheshire was just starting to relax as the Speeder began to pull away from the prison wall, when an almost completely white ghost in a pinstripe suit appeared with numerous green ghosts wearing identical armour and holding batons and riot shields.

"Who are they!?" Cheshire exclaimed in alarm.

"Walker and some of his guards," Danny answered in his emotionless, monotone voice.

"Phantom, protect us," Klarion ordered. Danny nodded and changed into his ghost half. He duplicated and sent his duplicate to hold off the warden and his lackeys while he drove the Speeder towards the Fenton portal at top speed. Within minutes they arrived at the portal and Danny briefly glowed green as his duplicate merged with him. He calmly drove the Speeder into the lab and parked it back where it was.

The three occupants got out and Danny closed the portal before turning to Klarion for further instructions. Klarion had the crystal ball, he was the one who he obeyed. Cheshire glanced at the clock and blinked in surprise. It was three in the morning already.

"If you catch any ghosts, you are to keep them and turn them over to us next time you see us. If you have company then you must try to do so without revealing what you are doing. Understood?" Klarion commanded, pulling out the crystal to make sure the order was lasting. Danny's eyes pulsed black and he nodded.

"Klarion, give him a verbal cue to know who he's allowed to fight and isn't," Cheshire suggested. Klarion grinned mischievously.

"Phantom, if someone says the following statement, you must not harm them. Teekl is the cutest pussy-cat ever," Klarion instructed. Danny's eyes pulsed black as the order took effect.

"Really?" Cheshire muttered unimpressed.

"Can't have it being anything those heroes will say by accident," Klarion retorted with a shrug, but both villains knew that Klarion didn't particularly care about that.

"It's late and the others will want a progress report," Cheshire reminded Klarion as the Witch Boy seemed content to walk around the room examining random equipment, not one bit concerned about potentially being caught by the other occupants in the house. Klarion sighed but nodded.

"Alright, no need to get all serious. Sheesh. Phantom, show us out and then return to what you were doing before we arrived. You will have no memory of this unless I say Phantom remember," Klarion commanded. Danny's eyes pulsed black again and the teen left the lab wordlessly. They arrived at the front door and Cheshire and Klarion stepped out of the house. Danny turned to leave.

"Wait, Phantom. Before you go. Make sure there's no evidence of what we just did. Can't have those pesky heroes getting suspicious," Klarion interjected before smirking as Danny's eyes pulsed black and he nodded obediently. Klarion joined Cheshire at the bottom of the steps and made a portal back to headquarters.

 **Yep, the Light have control of Danny and no one knows it, not even Danny.**

 **I'm not sure if I got Klarion exactly right, but his character works for the story so…**

 **Let me know what you think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	22. Chapter 22

Jake woke up and yawned. He rubbed his face tiredly before blinking in surprise as he heard tapping of typing. He turned to see Danny still at his computer.

"Morning," Jake called to the halfa. Danny blinked in surprise and turned to Jake and gave him a smile.

"Morning, sleep well?" Danny greeted him.

"Yeah, actually. You did get any sleep?" Jake asked hopefully.

"Nope," Danny answered, trying not to feel annoyed by that.

"So you've been on your computer all night," Jake remarked, feeling sympathetic towards the halfa. Danny blinked before he realised he had a two hour gap in his memory. He shrugged it off, he probably just didn't notice that so much time passed while immersed in his ghost files.

"Yeah. I've only got ten more files to go through," Danny replied.

"You've been mashed," Spud mumbled in a vaguely heroic tone while he slept. Jake chuckled.

"Yeah, he's been talking about potatoes all night. Know what that's about or should we be concerned?" Danny commented, sparing the genius slacker a curious glance. Jake smirked.

"Spud has this whole dream world where he's a potato based hero. I think he's called Spudman. Don't worry, it's no more weird than normal," Jake explained. Danny nodded in understanding.

Jake stretched and got to his feet, peering over Danny's shoulder curiously as the halfa read a file on the Box Ghost. He snorted.

"You actually have a file on that guy," Jake laughed.

"I have a file on every ghost I meet. I even have one on Dani and myself," Danny admitted. Danny tapped a short comment at the bottom of the file to state that sightings have reduced since the disasteroid to not daily but more than once or twice a week. Jake blinked in surprise.

"You have a file on you?" Jake commented. Danny sighed.

"I made it after there was an incident with Desiree when I forgot everything and lost my powers. It's just in case I need help remembering certain things. All my files are password protected with a code that only Sam, Tucker and Jazz know. I haven't gotten around to explaining all this to my parents. They know I have files and I've shown them a few that they wanted or needed to see. But it's not important for them to have access to them all the time," Danny elaborated. Jake nodded. Danny clicked on to the next file which happened to be on Klemper while Jake left the room to use the bathroom. Thankfully there were plenty of spare toothbrushes in the cabinet that for some reason Jack stocked up on a couple of months ago.

Jazz met Jake in the hall on her way to Danny's room, she was a natural early-riser.

"Hey morning Jake," Jazz greeted him cheerfully. With the media off their backs and Danny back home, she had been able to recover from the stressful week and a half and she was back to her optimistic happy self.

"Morning Jazz," Jake returned with a smile. Jazz glanced at his appearance before offering him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry you don't have any spare clothes here. If you'd like we could go to the mall today and get you some," Jazz offered. Jake smirked but shook his head.

"Nah, it's fine. Me and Spud will probably be heading back to New York by tomorrow. Spud's story isn't gonna last long, especially if his parents actually look up the skateboard competition Spud lied about," Jake assured her honestly. Jake wasn't sure if he would be going back home but he could always stop by his house to grab some provisions before coming back. Jazz nodded slowly in understanding.

They arrived at Danny's door and Jazz sighed softly in disappointment. Danny's bed was unslept in.

"Hey little brother. You doing alright?" Jazz called warmly.

"Yeah. I'm fine Jazz. You?" Danny answered distractedly as he typed something on his computer. Jazz hummed in confirmation as she looked over Danny's shoulder to check what he was doing.

"You're still doing that?" Jazz remarked surprised.

"Hey, I've been meaning do to this for ages. I was putting it off because it's such a big job. I'm kind of disappointed that I got so much done. I have no idea what I'm gonna do all night tonight," Danny retorted with a soft sigh. Jazz glanced worriedly at her brother.

"I'm sure this is just temporary Danny. Hopefully this will cure itself before long, that or mom and dad will find a cure," Jazz offered gently. Danny hummed in uncertain agreement before opening his last file which happened to be on himself. He skimmed the file and made a note about the danger of trapping his powers in his body for extended periods of time before shutting his files and leant back with a bored sigh.

"Done," he announced. Jazz glanced at Spud worriedly as he started mumbling in his sleep again.

"Is he alright?" she inquired with concern.

"It's fine. That's completely normal," Jake assured her.

"I'll make breakfast. Hungry Danny?" Jazz decided. Danny frowned before shrugging.

"A bit," he informed her. Jazz nodded. Due to his elevated energy and no longer needing food other than for nutritional purposes, Jazz and Maddie had decided to cater to that in meals. That meant giving Danny small portions but making sure that everything his human body needed to function was present in any meal he actually ate. They had told Danny that he had to eat nutritious food whenever he did eat, which meant no junk food. That hadn't gone down well. Danny had argued that since he didn't need to eat much, then shouldn't he be allowed whatever he wanted but his sister and mother won the argument by pointing out that junk food didn't have what he needed. That and threatening him with extra chores since he no longer needed sleep.

Jake and Danny followed the red head downstairs to the kitchen where she made Danny a fruit smoothie packed with vitamins and minerals as well as a boiled egg and bread and butter. It was a large breakfast considering Danny's lack of appetite but it had everything he needed. Obediently Danny ate the meal, forcing himself to eat the entire meal. It was unlikely that he would want to eat again that day. Meanwhile Jazz and Jake had their own breakfast of boiled eggs and bread. By the time they had finished eating, Maddie, Jack and a number of Young Justice had joined them. Jimmy arrived twenty minutes later and Spud and Danielle ended up emerging from their sleep almost an hour later. A steady flow of conversation kept Danny occupied while everyone else ate, something he was grateful for since he had spent the whole night in silence, more or less alone despite Jake and Spud being in the room.

After breakfast, Maddie, Jack and Jimmy disappeared down to the lab to return to their research for a cure for Danny's condition. Tucker and Sam arrived at the house an hour later. Jake and Spud said their farewells and walked to the train station to head back to New York, but Jake promised to come back that evening. He was still bothered by that magical surge of power during the press conference and he wanted to have a word with his grandfather and Fu dog before dismissing it. Zatanna and Miss Martian were able to change their clothes with ease, and Zatanna was kind enough to conjure a change of clothes for the rest of her team. It had taken a lot of debating that morning for them to decide to change out of their costumes in order to stay incognito during their stay in Amity Park. Zatanna was kind enough to conjure a change of clothes for Jimmy also, much to the boy genius's relief. Aqualad told Tucker, Jimmy, Jazz and Danny's parents his name and asked to be called Kaldur and Miss Martian revealed her Martian name, M'gann. Danny, Danielle, Jake and Sam had already known their names due to their time together the previous year.

Kid Flash decided against taking an undercover name and just told them to call him Wally. Superboy was more than happy to reveal his name being Conner, having a lot of respect for Danny and even told Danny of Superman's acceptance of him and adoption of the clone as his brother. Zatanna and Artemis saw no point in revealing that their hero names were also their actual names. Robin, as usual refused to say his name and Rocket decided against telling the others hers, at least for now.

Deciding that they should try and look for clues about what the magical surge was the previous day, the large group of teens agreed to split into three teams and go around the town. Danielle, Danny, M'gann, Sam and Robin were one team. Tucker, Wally, Zatanna and Artemis were the second, and Kaldur, Jazz, Conner and Rocket were the third team. Tucker and Zatanna wanted to check around the Town Hall more and so their team went that way. It was decided to keep Danny out of the public eye as much as possible so they decided his team should check around the docks and the quieter parts of town. That left Jazz's team to check out the more built up areas and the park. They agreed to meet back up at Fenton Works in three hours' time.

Halfway into their second hour, they still hadn't found any clues as to what that magical surge had been. Zatanna and Jake had spoken the previous night about what that surge could have been and Jake offered to go to his grandfather to get his thoughts on the situation and maybe even a protective amulet for Danny as he seemed to be the target. But she was starting to regret not having Jake around to consult with. Jazz's team had no luck either. Kaldur, with his background in Atlantean magic, knew what to look for but he saw no signs of magic anywhere. Danny's team had the least hope of finding anything but Robin watched Danny closely for any signs of discomfort and M'gann kept her mind open for any suspicious thoughts or psychic disturbances.

Suddenly Danny gasped and a stream of blue mist erupted from his lips. His ghost sense. Sam frowned worriedly at the sight. No one was happy with Danny fighting ghosts with his condition, but they all knew that they couldn't stop him. Danny instantly changed into his ghost form and Danielle followed him. Danny jumped into the air and scanned the area. A missile appeared out of nowhere and Danny dodged it. He was faster than normal but they all knew it was because of his elevated energy levels. Danielle scrambled out of the way and Danny shot the missile with a ghost ray to prevent any property damage and to protect M'gann, Robin and Sam below them, putting a shield around them simultaneously. Danny blinked. He felt so sure of himself. He shouldn't feel this comfortable fighting in his condition. It was almost like this wasn't his first fight since getting the collar off. He shrugged the odd feeling away and turned towards the source of the missile.

Skulker looked stunned. Danny had never been this powerful before. His ghost sense had a wider range too. He hadn't been ready to attack but he couldn't run away after Danny sensed him. Danny scowled at the hunter and folded his arms.

"Rookie mistake?" Danny asked, slightly surprised that Skulker had been so hasty. He usually didn't sense the hunter until Skulker was ready for him.

"How did you get so powerful whelp?" Skulker retorted in surprise, ignoring Danny's taunt. Danny smirked.

"That's for me to know and you to never find out," Danny answered. Maybe this elevated energy thing wasn't so bad after all. Danielle drifted back towards Sam, Robin and M'gann. She, like the others, could see that Danny was fully in control and didn't need back-up for now.

Unexpectedly Danny charged forward at Skulker and kicked the ghost powerfully. Danny caught the ghost before Skulker could crash through the roof of a warehouse nearby with his telekinesis. He then fired a ghost ice blast at the ground and created a solid block that he slammed Skulker into before leaving the ghost dazed on the cracked ice, leaving the pavement below intact. Danny reached for his thermos, somehow he felt compelled to bring one with him at all times. He sucked the ghost inside and landed beside the ice and put a hand on it. His eyes pulsed blue and green simultaneously and he melted the ice, leaving a puddle of cold water behind, the only sign of the ghost fight. Danny clipped the thermos to his belt and changed back to human. He turned to the others, all four of them were shocked by Danny. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Guess having my energy elevated is good for fighting ghosts," he commented, breaking the stunned silence. The four others nodded numbly.

"We… we should keep going," Robin managed and Danielle changed back to human as the team resuming patrolling the warehouses at the docks.

 **So everyone's still clueless but Danny is having some odd thoughts and compulsions due to his orders from Klarion.**

 **What do you guys think? Is the elevated energy a good or bad thing? A lot stronger but unable to sleep and severely reduced appetite. Or… is there more going on than we can see?**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	23. Chapter 23

Jake waved goodbye to Spud as he left the Spudinski residence. The two friends had lied about losing the competition making a big deal about how much they should have won. They had to defend their skating prowess after all but didn't have a trophy to display. Jake breathed in the smog filled air of New York. He smiled. This was home. Amity Park didn't have nearly as much pollution and smelt a lot fresher. But at the same time there was a distinctiveness to Amity Park. Jake ducked into an alleyway and flew to his house, slipping into the backyard and going through the back door. Susan, in the kitchen, exclaimed in surprise as he hadn't called her before returning to New York.

"Jake! Don't scare me like that!" Susan scolded, putting a hand over her thundering heart.

"Sorry mom. Forgot my key at Grandpa's," Jake muttered sheepishly. Susan Long smiled and pulled her son into a warm hug.

"I'm glad you're home Jake. We saw the press conference from Amity Park. Good job getting Danny home," Susan praised.

"Mom, I'm not staying. I just came back to drop Spud back home and to get some clothes," Jake interjected with an apologetic smile.

"Jakers! Good to see you son!" Johnathon Long exclaimed happily stepping into the kitchen having heard voices. Haley was at dragon practice and so he had investigated the voices curiously.

"Hey dad," Jake greeted his father with a warm smile.

"What do you mean you're not staying? Jake, is something wrong?" Susan pressed worriedly. Jake sighed and dropped into a seat at the kitchen table. Susan and Johnathon shared concerned glances and joined their son.

"Things aren't as resolved as they seem," Jake began.

"What do you mean?" Johnathon wondered with concern.

"Danny's not… safe yet. There's a complication. He's not as healthy as he seems," Jake started to explain.

"Not as healthy as he seems?" Susan repeated in confusion. Jake sighed.

"Look, Danny doesn't want this to get out. If people found out, especially the wrong people, things might get out of hand or dangerous. The people that took Danny didn't want a war. We're not exactly sure what they wanted to be honest. But they put this collar on Danny that trapped his ghost energy in his body and then stole it from him and put it into storage units. They stopped taking his energy and his energy levels got out of control. When we took off the collar, he couldn't stop it all exploding out of him. He damaged a ghost proof cell thing his parent's built. The whole house shook. Since then, his energy levels haven't gone back to normal. He literally can't sleep anymore and hardly has an appetite anymore either," Jake revealed carefully. Susan and Johnathon gasped worriedly.

"His parents and Jimmy, the kid at the conference, they're looking for a cure and we're hoping that Danny's energy will go back to normal over time. But that's not all. Me and a magician were at the press conference. Straight after Danny's speech, there was a powerful surge of magic. We don't know what it did, but Robin said Danny suddenly got a headache at the same time," Jake resumed. Susan frowned in thought.

"Perhaps you should take Fu dog back with you. He does have a lot of experience with spells and potions," Susan suggested.

"I might do. I'm just concerned about exposure if I do that. I'm working with people that don't know that the magical world exists. They know about magic. But I don't think they're all believers still. I want Grandpa's advice first," Jake replied.

"Alright Jake, but be careful. These people sound dangerous," Susan muttered.

"Don't worry mom, I'll be fine. I'm the Am Drag and I'm with a lot of powerful people too. These other guys have dealt with the people that took Danny before," Jake assured his mother. Susan nodded.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. Jake grinned in confirmation. It had been a few hours since lunch at this point.

"Go pack a bag then and I'll make you something to eat," Susan suggested. Jake jumped to his feet, calling his thanks over his shoulder before jogging upstairs to his room and stuffing some fresh underwear, trousers and tops into his backpack, dumping his usual stuff out on to his bed and Marty's compass. He planned to return it before he went back to Amity Park. Once he had something to eat and assured his parents he'd be fine and he'd pass on their greetings and well wishes to Danny, he grabbed his skateboard and went to his grandfather's electronics shop a few streets over.

He pushed open the shop door, ignoring the bell jingling above his head to alert anyone in the back room. Lao Shi, Jake's grandfather appeared with his long white moustache and blue Chinese robe.

"Young dragon. I'm glad to see that you have returned. Now we can return to your training," Lao Shi greeted him with a smile.

"Er, about that G. I'm going back to Amity Park tonight. I just wanted to return this to Marty and ask for your advice," Jake admitted carefully, holding up the glowing gold compass. Lao Shi scowled.

"Jake, I understand that Danny is your friend and you want to ensure he is well after his ordeal but you are the American dragon. You have obligations and duties here," Lao Shi reminded the teen sternly.

"Yeah, I know Gramps. I do. But this isn't just about Danny. I felt a surge of magical power during the press conference. I don't think it's over. And if it isn't, then Danny might need my help. You know that ghosts can fall into our jurisdiction," Jake retorted quickly. Lao Shi frowned.

"Ghosts only fall into our responsibility if they endanger the magical world. You know that," Lao Shi informed him.

"If what Danny's worried about happens, then it will," Jake assured his grandfather confidently.

Lao Shi surveyed his grandson before nodding, he wouldn't argue further. Jake smiled gratefully and both dragons stepped into the back room. Haley was sitting on the couch back there with Sun. Jake waved to his little sister in greeting.

"Hey Jake!" Haley cheered happily and went to get up before wincing and falling back into her seat.

"What's wrong?" Jake asked worriedly.

"Haley just strained her ankle. A bad landing during a fight. She'll be fine. Hello Jake," Sun explained with a warm smile.

"Hey Sun. Fu, mind giving this back to Marty. It helped a ton," Jake requested, handing the glowing gold orb to the Shar Pei sitting at the desk.

"Sure kid. We have a poker game this weekend," Fu dog agreed easily.

"We heard what you told your grandfather Jake. Tell us the situation," Sun informed the teen. Jake nodded and explained the entire situation to them, leaving nothing out. He trusted these people and he knew Danny wouldn't mind these people knowing. Once Jake was finished, now sitting beside Haley, he sat back and sighed softly.

"So, that's everything. Danny says he feels fine and Zatanna didn't sense anything but we're both still concerned. Any advice?" Jake concluded. Lao Shi hummed thoughtfully.

"Perhaps Danny would benefit from an amulet of protection," Lao Shi suggested.

"And a magical detox. I'll whip up a potion for it. It should remove any lingering magic on him," Fu dog added.

"Sounds good," Jake complimented with a smile.

"Do you want some back up?" Haley wondered as Fu dog swivelled around on his seat to start making the potion.

"I should be fine but thanks Hales. Besides, you've got a bad ankle and you're holding down the fort here for me. I've got plenty of back up in Amity Park," Jake replied.

"Who do you have in Amity Park, exactly?" Haley encouraged.

"Well there's me. Danny, Danielle, Sam, Tucker and Danny's parents. Jimmy, he's a genius. Then there's Zatanna, Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian, Rocket and Artemis. Kim knows about the situation so if we really need more help we can call Kim and Ron in to help," Jake listed, counting out everyone on his fingers.

"That's not a lot of help when it comes to magic Jake," Sun pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

"My mom did suggest that Fu could come with me, but I didn't think it was a good idea since most of the guys in Amity Park haven't met him and don't know I'm a dragon," Jake recalled with a shrug. Lao Shi nodded thoughtfully.

"Fu dog, I want you to go with Jake but try to prevent the others finding out about yourselves. Understood. Fu?" Lao Shi decided. Fu dog glanced over his shoulder with a scowl but grumbled an agreement.

"When I've done this, I'll pack for Amity Park," Fu dog informed them.

"Don't pack anything unnecessary Fu dog. Potion ingredients and overnight things. That's all," Lao Shi warned sharply. Fu dog waved his paw dismissively. Lao Shi nodded and disappeared to grab a suitcase suitable for Fu dog.

"Do you have everything Jake?" Sun asked.

"Yeah, I stopped at home before I came here. Explained what was going on then. Hey Fu, do we have anything to help with Danny's health problem?" Jake remarked. Fu dog paused in his potion making to hum thoughtfully.

"I'll double check but I doubt it. He's a ghost, anything I'll have will be for magic," Fu dog commented. Jake nodded in understanding. It had been unlikely but it didn't hurt to ask.

Half an hour later, Fu dog was packed, Lao Shi checking that there was nothing unnecessary in the suitcase before handing it to Jake to carry. Jake frowned but didn't object further than remarking on the weight. Fu dog then handed the magical detox potion to Jake.

"It'll be ready in the morning. It needs to stew overnight," Fu dog told him. Jake nodded and slipped the vial into his pocket safely.

"And this should protect him from spells being cast on him. However be aware young dragon that includes all spells, not just malevolent ones," Lao Shi added and handed Jake a gold coin inscribed with strange markings strung on a leather cord. Jake took the amulet and put it in his pocket also.

"Thanks Gramps. Hopefully this won't take much longer," Jake muttered before lifting Fu dog's suitcase and leaving the shop with Fu dog walking on all fours beside him, leash tied to Jake's wrist for appearances. They called a cab and went to the train station.

 **So, Fu dog's going to Amity Park to help Danny with his problem. But will the extra help be enough to foil the Light?**

 **Let me know what you guys think so far.**

 **Make sure to check out my website! There's a poll for the next fanfic up. Don't miss your chance to pick. There's a link in my bio.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	24. Chapter 24

Danny scanned the lab and sighed softly. Everyone, including his parents had gone to bed. Danny still couldn't sleep. Despite having fought Skulker, had a training session with the heroes of Young Justice and Danielle and chasing Johnny, his shadow and Kitty on Johnny's bike for well over an hour despite him being able to fly faster than normal. The issue had been Johnny turning invisible repeatedly. He had decided to clean the lab to pass the night. He was having trouble deciding where to start though. He could start in the weapon's vault, make sure the weapons were charged, ordered and do an inventory. Or he could start with the cluttered desks.

He glanced at the thermos tucked away on a dark shelf. Skulker, Johnny, Kitty and Johnny's shadow were trapped inside. For some reason, he didn't want to send them back to the Ghost Zone like usual. Well he did, but something was stopping him. Something at the back of his mind telling him to keep the ghosts in the thermos. No one but he knew that the ghosts were still in the thermos. Danny was shaken from his thoughts when the doorbell rang. He frowned in confusion but left the lab to answer the door anyway.

On the doorstep, Danny found Jake and Fu dog waiting with a bulky suitcase. He blinked in surprise.

"Oh hey guys. Didn't expect to see you here Fu," Danny remarked.

"We figured you needed another expert on magic around," Fu dog elaborated as he stepped into the house. Danny frowned.

"What for?" he questioned.

"We're just worried about you Danny, that's all. Just because Zatanna didn't sense any spells or magic on you, doesn't mean there isn't any," Jake reassured the halfa. Danny sighed before taking their suitcase, seeing that Jake was struggling. He was able to access his ghostly strength without changing, unlike Jake.

"Thanks," Jake gasped as Danny took the heavy case. Danny smiled at the teen.

"Jake you can take my bed if you want. We packed up your sleeping bag since you weren't back. We figured you would wait until morning," Danny offered.

"What about you?" Jake pointed out.

"If I miraculously do feel tired enough to sleep, I'll crash on the couch," Danny replied.

"And me?" Fu dog reminded the teen.

"I dunno, I'm guessing that you'll want to sleep somewhere private, so find somewhere in my room. I might have a blanket in my dresser. I'll be up in a sec. Where do you want this?" Danny suggested.

"Mind if we keep it in your room? Fu's the potion's expert and that's his bag," Jake requested. Danny shrugged and led the way upstairs with the case. Jazz's door opened and the red head emerged with a yawn.

"Danny? Who was at the door?" Jazz tiredly asked.

"Jake and a friend. Don't worry Jazz, go back to sleep," Danny told her softly. Jazz blinked tiredly and smiled, seeing Jake through the gloom and waved in greeting before disappearing back into her room.

"Your choice if you want Jazz to meet Fu," Danny muttered as he kicked his door open and dropped the case in a corner before rummaging through his dresser for a blanket he was certain he had. Usually it was only for when he had sleepovers or got sick.

He smirked happily when he pulled out a thick blanket and handed it to Fu dog while Jake disappeared off to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Fu dog thanked the halfa and set up a nest like bed for the night beside his suitcase. Jake returned and dropped his shoes at the bottom of the bed and stuffed his clothes into his bag. He paused and turned to Danny.

"Oh, Danny we have a couple of things for you. An amulet, here. It'll protect you against spells. And there's a potion to get rid of any magic on you but we have to wait until morning for it to be ready," Jake explained and handed the halfa the gold coin on the leather cord. Danny raised an eyebrow but put it on.

"Thanks Jake. Night guys," Danny muttered.

"Where are you going?" Fu dog called curiously.

"I'm gonna clean the lab tonight. I have to do something or I'll go crazy," Danny informed them before leaving.

"He seems to be handling the whole not sleeping thing alright," Fu dog remarked as he settled down. Jake shrugged.

"I think it's because he has stuff to do. If he didn't, then he'd probably be a lot worse," Jake pointed out as he got into Danny's bed.

Danny returned to the lab and with a sigh settled on starting in the weapons vault. He raised an eyebrow as he noticed a sticky note. He smirked as he saw it was a note from his father to his father to remind the man to give Danny a chore. They had installed a handle on the inside of the vault, especially after Jazz and Maddie got trapped in there once. But this note was to fix a dodgy shelf at the back that would collapse if anything heavy was put on it. For now it only held spools of Fenton resin coated string and a couple of boxes with spare parts. Danny cleared the shelf and removed the shelf easily and set to work repairing it.

He had just returned everything on to the now repaired shelf when he heard a whisper cut through the night. He couldn't locate the voice. It almost seemed to come from inside his head. And it was familiar but he didn't know who was talking to him. But he understood exactly what the voice told him and he felt his entire body become numb as his mind cleared. The voice told him to answer the door and turn off the defences for his master.

Danny walked upstairs and opened the front door obediently, switching off the defence system as he went. On the doorstep, Klarion, his cat Teekl and Cheshire stood waiting. They walked past Danny into the house.

"Phantom, remember our last visit," Klarion instructed. Danny's eyes flashed black as his previous orders came back to his mind.

"Did you catch any ghosts today?" Cheshire asked. Danny nodded.

"Skulker, Johnny, his shadow and Kitty," Danny informed them, his voice once again monotone and emotionless.

"Get them for us," Klarion ordered. Danny nodded and phased through the floor to the lab. He grabbed the thermos and returned to Klarion and Cheshire, offering the thermos to them obediently. Klarion grinned and snatched the thermos from the halfa and examined the thermos. Cheshire frowned as she saw something gold glint on Danny's chest in the dim light from outside.

"What are you wearing?" Cheshire inquired.

"An amulet Jake gave me to protect me against magical spells. Jeans, t-shirt, boxers-" Danny began listing.

"Alright! You can stop," Cheshire interrupted hastily. She needed to learn to be more specific with her questions.

"Klarion? Is that amulet going to be a problem?" Cheshire wondered worriedly. The amulet hadn't stopped them taking control of Danny but if it gave the halfa any freedom, it could be bad. Klarion looked up from the thermos and scowled at the gold coin.

"Hand it over," he commanded. Danny obediently placed the amulet in Klarion's hand. Klarion surveyed the coin before sniggering.

"This won't affect anything. It's meant to stop spells being cast on him. The ritual has already taken place. It's fine," Klarion concluded and returned the amulet to Danny. Danny put it back on, having no orders to keep it off and knowing that his master wanted to hide their actions. Cheshire chewed her lip worriedly.

"Is that all Jake gave you? Have you been given anything else to protect you against magic?" Cheshire inquired with concern.

"No. Not yet," Danny replied.

"What do you mean not yet?" Klarion pressed urgently.

"There's a potion. It won't be ready until morning. It's supposed to remove all magic on me," Danny explained.

"Get that potion for me. Don't get caught," Klarion ordered firmly. Danny's eyes pulsed black as he nodded. He shifted into his ghost half and turned himself invisible as he floated into the air to phase through the ceiling. He phased into Jazz's room and spared his sister a glance to ensure he didn't wake her by his cold presence. The red head shifted under her covers, pulling Bearbert closer to herself and snuggled deeper into her blankets. Danny phased through the wall into his room, drifting directly over Fu dog. The magical companion shivered and grumbled in his sleep before giving a soft snort and turning over in his blanket nest. Danny landed on the blue carpet beside his bed, watching for Jake to notice his presence but the dragon didn't. Danny crouched down beside Jake's bag and carefully rummaged through it looking for anything that would look like a potion. He found nothing and turned to Jake's jacket draped over Danny's desk chair. The halfa crossed the room and shoved his invisible gloved hands into the pockets and pulled out a vial of softly glowing yellow liquid.

Danny then phased through the floor, landing in the kitchen and returned to Klarion's side, regaining visibility to hand his master the item he was ordered to fetch. Klarion took the potion and examined it, going so far as opening the vial and dipping a finger into the liquid and tasting the potion. He frowned.

"Hold that. Follow me," Klarion commanded and marched into the kitchen, thrusting the vial to the halfa. Danny obeyed and trailed after the Witch Boy. Cheshire raised an eyebrow behind her mask and followed them into the kitchen. Klarion searched through the cupboards and began mixing things together until he made a greyish sludge.

"That potion won't remove the ritual, but it will strip all orders and I won't be here to replace them. And I can't be bothered to repeat myself. We can't get rid of the potion without making them suspicious and they'll just make another if Phantom sabotages it by dropping it. We'll need to fool them to think he drank it," Klarion muttered as he worked in explanation. Cheshire nodded in understanding.

"Phantom, pour that down the sink and rinse it out. Make sure you get all that potion out," Klarion instructed and Danny obeyed without question. Klarion snatched the vial and poured the grey sludge into the vial and stoppered it.

"Return it where you found it. Don't get caught," Klarion commanded. Danny phased back up into his room and put the vial in Jake's jacket pocket.

"That wasn't yellow, or glowing," Cheshire pointed out.

"It's only yellow and glows when it's stewing. It's ready when it turns grey and thickens," Klarion elaborated dismissively calm. Danny returned to the kitchen seconds later.

Klarion nodded, happy with everything they had accomplished.

"Phantom, clean this mess up. Make sure there's no trace of what we did," Klarion ordered. Danny's eyes pulsed black and he nodded. He grabbed cleaning utensils and obeyed.

"I'm going to leave Teekl here to keep an eye on things. Phantom, if anyone points him out, you will say that it's a neighbour's cat and has been around for a few weeks," Klarion decided. He would need his cat near Danny to ensure there weren't any unforeseen complications, and his telepathic connection to the feline would allow that. Danny's eyes pulsed black as the order took effect.

"We'll see ourselves out but make sure to turn the defences back on. Once you have completed those orders, you will not remember what happened tonight until I tell you to remember. Then you can return to what you were doing before we came," Klarion commanded. Danny's eyes pulsed black as the orders were given and nodded in compliance.

 **Sabotage! Another secret night visit from the Light and no one's the wiser still.**

 **What do you think? Will Fu dog notice the switch?**

 **What about Skulker, Johnny and Kitty? Will they be missed? (I promise not to forget Johnny this fanfic lol)**

 **Let me know what you guys think.**

 **Don't forget to check out my website to see all my updates and vote in the latest poll for the next fanfic I post. There's a link in my bio.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	25. Chapter 25

The next morning, Danny was putting back the now fully charged weapons into the weapons vault when Maddie checked in on him.

"Sweetie? How are you today?" she asked with concern. Danny looked up from the shelf he was organising and smiled at her warmly.

"I feel fine mom. Sleep well?" he answered calmly. Maddie smiled and nodded.

"I did. Thank you. Did you get any sleep?" Maddie replied hopefully. Danny shook his head as he passed her to collect an armful of wrist rays to return to the vault.

"I did an inventory too. I wrote it down on the page," Danny informed her and pointed with a nod to a handwritten sheet of paper on the nearby desk, his arms full with the ghost weapons. Maddie smiled and picked up the sheet and skimmed it casually. While it was nice that Danny had volunteered to do such a large and time consuming job, she was concerned for her son. She knew he didn't need sleep for energy anymore but she was worried that his condition might have long term consequences for his human half if not his ghost half.

"Are you hungry?" she asked as Danny passed her with a bunch of rifles. He nodded slightly.

"A bit," he admitted. Maddie nodded.

"I'll make you something to eat then," she decided as she went upstairs, putting the page back onto the desk behind her. Danny glanced at his mother as she left, a small appreciative smile aimed at her back. He knew his family were worried about him. Heck, he was worried about himself. He knew that his elevated energy could be a bad thing. He missed sleeping. He missed being able to just turn off his body and escape into unconsciousness for a few hours. He had always been a night owl, stargazing wasn't a morning person's hobby. But night time was fast becoming a lonely and boring time for him. He had managed to find jobs to do so far, but what would happen when he eventually ran out of chores to do. He loved stargazing, but he wasn't sure he could spend the rest of his life spending the night on the roof. Movies and videogames were great too but hours and hours of them could get boring, especially alone.

He had just put the last weapon in place in the vault when his mother called him into the kitchen to eat. His mother wasn't the only person awake. Most of the household and guests were around, Fu dog and Jake hadn't gotten up yet but they had both had a late night.

"Here you are sweetie," Maddie remarked warmly as she placed a bowl of fruit salad and a ham and cheese sandwich on the table at an empty seat. Danny smiled, thinking that he wouldn't be able to finish that. He dropped into the seat and decided to start with half of the sandwich before tackling the salad. If he had room, he'd have the final half sandwich. The room was filled with comfortable chatter. Jimmy frowned at Danny though across the table. The teen looked a little pale. Jimmy wasn't a doctor but he could see that the halfa didn't look completely healthy.

Once he had eaten all he could, Danny stood up and cleared his breakfast.

"By the way, Jake got here last night. His grandfather forced him to bring his dog too but don't worry, mom, dad, he's well trained," Danny informed the room.

"What time did he get in?" Jack wondered, surprised that the teen had come back the previous evening.

"I think it was about midnight or something. I didn't look at a clock but I hadn't started on the lab yet," Danny recalled thoughtfully. Jack nodded in understanding.

"Did you get the lab finished?" Jazz asked. Danny sighed disappointedly and nodded. Everyone gave the halfa sympathetic smiles. Danielle tapped her chin in thought.

"You could tidy every room. You know a room a night. That should keep you occupied for a while," she suggested. Danny smirked and nodded gratefully.

Danny excused himself to get changed, sneaking into his room to grab the clothes from his closet to avoid waking the talking dog and teen still sleeping in there. He changed in the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He looked at his reflection and winced. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. While it was true, he didn't feel that way. It was concerning. Did this mean that his ghost half was taking over and he couldn't care for his human half anymore? He couldn't sleep. He didn't want to eat. Could he be making his human half sick? Danny swept a hand through his hair and blew out a sigh. What could he do? He turned to go but he suddenly felt like he was punched in the chest and he stumbled into the sink. He groaned and massaged his chest in discomfort. What he didn't know was that his eyes had pulsed bright green the moment he felt that sudden pain. The pain faded. Danny breathed a soft sigh of relief before turning to his reflection again. What was that? Did he have a heart attack?! Danny pushed away that fear and shook his head.

"No. It was probably nothing. If it happens again, I'll tell the others. But there's no need to worry them about nothing," Danny mumbled to himself. However he did resolve to search online how to identify a heart attack.

Danny returned downstairs as Sam and Tucker arrived. He greeted his friend and girlfriend. They returned to the kitchen and found the others still there, nursing cups of tea or coffee or nibbling on slices of toast.

"What do you kids plan on doing today?" Maddie inquired curiously.

"No idea. We could play some videogames," Tucker suggested. Danny shrugged. He didn't mind as long as he got to spend time with his friends.

"Videogames only lets like four people play. Do you have any board games?" Artemis pointed out hopefully. Maddie hummed in thought.

"We might do. Jazz, Danny, can either of you remember where they are?" Maddie answered. The only game she knew the location of was the checkers board, after the last time she and Jack played, she had hidden it. The arguments weren't worth it. She wasn't a sore winner, her husband was just a sore loser, that's all.

"We had them out last Christmas," Jazz muttered in thought. Danielle nodded. She remembered the games, she had needed to learn each game and often lost as she had no experience. Danny snapped his fingers as he recalled where he put them.

"I put them away. We were still settling Dani in so I put them in the Ops centre since she got the spare room," Danny informed them. He turned into his ghost form and phased through the ceiling and went to the Ops centre.

Minutes later, Danny returned with a tower of dusty board games. There was mousetrap, cluedo, monopoly, snakes and ladders, twister as well as other classics. The teens grinned. With the wish to keep Danny out of trouble and out of the public eye, they were running out of ideas to occupy themselves with. But with the discovery of so many board games, they knew they had today sorted at least. Half an hour later, the teens had finally decided on playing monopoly first and once enough people got knocked out, they could start another game. Jake and Fu dog appeared just as they started the game.

"Hey Jake, want to play? We haven't gone around everyone yet. We're using these instead of the normal pieces," Sam offered and held up an ice figurine that looked like herself and glanced at the others that Danny and Danielle had made. Jake grinned.

"Sounds great. Let me grab some breakfast first kay?" Jake called. Danny nodded and while they waited, he made a figurine of Jake and put it on the start square. Jake returned a minute later with a seat from the kitchen table, dropping it beside Zatanna who happened to be next to play. Jake blinked at the figurine of himself before smirking at Danny. The halfa returned the smirk and offered the dragon a shrug. He wasn't going to admit that he made figurines of people he knew as practice.

After half an hour of playing, Fu dog made a half bark, half cough sound and tugged on Jake's jacket.

"Kid, potion," he hissed. Jake blinked before nodding.

"We should have snacks. Zatanna, mind helping me?" Jake announced and dragged the magician into the kitchen before she could answer. He pulled out the potion and quickly explained what it was to her. They returned a few minutes later with packs of junk food and Zatanna informed the group of the potion and handed it to Danny. The halfa sighed and rolled his eyes but drank the liquid obediently. He cringed at the disgusting flavour and quickly excused himself to get something to drink and get rid of the taste. But Zatanna and Jake breathed soft sighs of relief. The potion had had no effect on the halfa beyond leaving a horrible after taste in his mouth. Danny hadn't needed the potion after all. The headache at the press conference must have been a coincidence or a side effect of his elevated energy.

Danielle was the first out of the game, closely followed by Rocket after she landed on a number of Sam's properties. Once Conner and M'gann got knocked out, the four decided to start a game of snakes and ladders, Danielle's favourite as the rules were so simple. Three hours later, Sam and Robin were heads up.

"How come you're so good Sam? I get Rob as he's been trained by Batman to strategize but…" Wally wondered curiously. Sam blushed lightly.

"It comes with being from a rich family. Money management kind of comes with the class. Plus my dad is involved with property development. You pick stuff up," Sam admitted shyly. Despite having grown up rich and later surrounded by Danny's fame since the beginning of last summer after the asteroid, she didn't like confessing her true rank. Her family's wealthy background had been revealed in a massive exposé, her classmates had been absolutely stunned. Everyone blinked at her as she bought a hotel for one of her properties. Danny chuckled at the dumbstruck expressions on a number of the others' faces.

"She's more than a pretty face guys," he commented as he lazily put an arm around her shoulders. Sam rolled her eyes but smirked proudly as her boyfriend complimented her.

 **Just a lazy day for the group, keeping Danny out of trouble. But… what happened in the bathroom? Any ideas?**

 **Let me know what you guys think so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	26. Chapter 26

Sam ended up winning the game of monopoly, much to Young Justice's amusement. They were just trying to decide which game they should play next, or rather whether or not to play monopoly again or split up and play different games. Suddenly there was a crash below them and Danny and Danielle's ghost senses triggered. Danny changed into his ghost form instantly and phased through the floor to investigate. Danielle, startled first by her ghost sense and then her adoptive brother's fast reaction, changed into her ghost form moments later and followed him. The others sprinted through the kitchen and down to the lab.

Danny fell through the ceiling of the lab at a controlled speed and landed on the tiled floor easily. He blinked with surprise as he spotted Ember scowling at his parents pointing rifles at her, Jimmy was currently hiding behind a desk. Danny spared the boy genius a glance before walking forward to handle the ghost.

"Ember! What are you doing here?" Danny called, stopping beside his mother and folded his arms, fixing a stern expression on the ghost.

"Look dipstick, I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm just trying to find my best friend and boyfriend. Skulker told me he was coming here for a few hours and Kitty went on a date with Johnny. They never came back," Ember explained. Danny raised an eyebrow. Something in the back of his mind told him that he knew where those ghosts were but another part of him told him he couldn't tell Ember.

"Weren't they in Amity Park yesterday?" Danielle's voice asked from behind Danny. Danny glanced at his clone and nodded slowly.

"Yeah, but I caught them," Danny reminded her.

"So they're in the Ghost Zone? Why haven't I seen them then!?" Ember snapped.

Danny suddenly felt guilty. He didn't remember sending them back. But he knew that the thermos he sucked those ghosts into was empty… right? There were no occupied thermoses in the lab.

"Danny, you did send them back right? You didn't forget?" Sam pressed worriedly, seeing her boyfriend withdraw into himself. Everyone turned to him with scowls.

"Danny?" Jazz encouraged sharply. Danny swept a hand through his hair.

"I… I don't remember. I thought I did. But… I _know_ there aren't any occupied thermoses here. You can checked them in the vault. But… I don't remember emptying any thermoses into the Ghost Zone," Danny admitted with a frown. Ember glared at him.

"Well! Where are they then!?" Ember demanded angrily.

Danny turned to the ghost and slowly shook his head. He didn't know. That was the scariest thing. The last two nights he had had a black out. As the thought came to his mind, his mouth clamped shut. He couldn't tell anyone. His lips wouldn't let him. Danny growled in his throat and ran his fingers roughly through his hair in frustration. Everyone watching was confused and astonished at Danny's actions.

"Is something wrong sweetie?" Maddie ventured worriedly.

"I don't forget these kinds of things. Not recently! But I don't have any memory of releasing them," Danny muttered, more to himself than the others. Ember snarled and approached Danny threateningly. Danielle rushed forwards with glowing green hands. Danny was distracted and wide open to attack. She would protect her adoptive brother.

Jake and Zatanna shared frowns of concern.

"You're sure that potion would have gotten rid of all enchantments?" Zatanna whispered.

"I'm not the expert but that's what I was told. Fu knows more than me," Jake replied quietly. Zatanna glanced at Danny as he scowled at himself, deep in thought.

"Go ask him. I'll cover for you," Zatanna suggested softly. Jake flashed the magician a quick grateful smile before quietly rushing back to the kitchen where he found Fu dog waiting for news.

"What's up down there kid?" Fu dog inquired.

"Ghost. But that doesn't matter. Fu, are you sure that that potion worked? I mean, is it guaranteed that Danny's magic free?" Jake questioned. Fu dog frowned and hummed in thought.

"Well, most spells would have been removed with that potion. But I guess it's a possibility that the potion wasn't as effective as we hoped it would be. Come to think of it, I don't remember the potion having such a bad after taste, maybe the ingredients weren't as fresh as I thought," Fu dog speculated. Jake scowled at the dog.

"You gave me funky potion to give to Danny!?" Jake accused angrily.

"Hey! I said maybe! Relax, I can double check. But… unless we can get rid of everyone, we might need to come clean kid," Fu dog retorted sharply. Jake sighed away his fearful anger and nodded.

"We'll come clean about you. Alright. The less they know the better," Jake suggested worriedly. Fu dog nodded in agreement. Both magical creatures walked down the stairs to the lab.

Danielle glared at Ember as the ghost's eyes flickered red with rage. The ghostly diva clearly wanted to attack Danny but Danielle's intervention was enough to deter the ghost, for now.

"We might have a way to know what's going on," Jake informed everyone. Fu dog cleared his throat.

"Sorry, but that potion mightn't have been as fresh as I hoped. But I can try to make sure if there's any magic on Danny," Fu dog announced apologetically. Sam and Tucker nodded in understanding, Danny was too busy trying to figure out what happened to the thermos with the missing ghosts, the rest of the room was gaping at Fu dog.

"Did that dog… just… talk!?" Wally exclaimed.

"Yep. I can do more tricks than speak too," Fu dog retorted sarcastically. Jake rolled his eyes at his magical companion before turning to Danny.

"Danny!?" Jake called worriedly. Danny turned to the younger teen.

"You okay?" Jake asked with concern. Danny nodded slowly.

"I think so," he mumbled, his confusion very much evident.

"We want to try one last thing to make sure you don't have any spells on you," Jake told the halfa. Danny turned back to the dragon, having turned away as he lost himself in his thoughts again. He chewed his lip lightly before nodding in agreement.

"What do you need Fu?" Jake prompted the dog, who was currently glaring at everyone staring at him.

"Everything I need is in my suitcase. But I'll need plenty of space. We'll need to be comfortable too. I suggest the living room," Fu dog answered. Jake nodded and turned to everyone.

"Okay, you can stop staring at Fu now. He can't be any weirder than a half dead teenager," Jake grumbled, pointing at Danny who looked up to scowl lightly at the dragon. Fu dog rolled his eyes as he trudged up the lab stairs back to the kitchen where he grabbed a glass of water, resorting to jumping on to the counter to reach the sink without aid. Jake led the way into the living room with everyone following, including Ember who still wanted her answers. Danny, lost in his thoughts, dropped onto the couch distractedly.

This didn't make sense. Were the black outs just because of his elevated energy or was it something else? He hadn't had one that first night he got back. Then was that pang of pain in the bathroom earlier that day connected or something different? Were there other symptoms? What happened to Kitty, Skulker and Johnny? Did he send them back or did he do something else? He knew that they weren't in the Ghost Zone but… he _had_ to have sent them back! Why wouldn't he? Before, he had only forgotten or got delayed because of his parents and his secret preventing him or excessive work load or ghost attacks. He had never chosen not to return a ghost. This didn't make sense. None at all.

Seeing that Danny was distracted, Jake fetched the heavy suitcase for Fu dog, struggling downstairs loudly until Conner offered his assistance. Fu dog returned a few moments later and opened the suitcase and started making a potion which suddenly exploded and left a blue powder behind in the vial.

"Danny, I need you on the floor," Fu dog informed the teen as he pulled out a few more things. Sam nudged her boyfriend when she realised that he hadn't heard. Danny looked up and Sam repeated Fu dog's request for him. Danny fluidly slid off the couch and sat cross legged on the floor a few feet away from the coffee table.

Fu dog walked over to Danny and grabbed a fistful of blue powder from the vial and unexpectedly blew it at Danny. Danny sneezed as the powder got in his nose before he gasped and began to shake as though he was in pain. Fu dog scowled.

"What did you just do!?" Jack shouted fearfully.

"This is powerful magic. No wonder Zatanna didn't sense it. This is meant to interact with the magic on him. Only the magic. But this seems to have affected Danny completely. I've only seen this with blood magic," Fu dog explained gravely.

"Blood magic?" Jake repeated in confusion as Zatanna gasped in alarm. Fu dog threw the glassful of water at Danny, washing the powder off the teen. Danny shivered before wiping the water out of his eyes.

"Yep. Blood magic is binding. The only way to remove the spell is to somehow undo the ritual used. And the only way to do that is to find out which ritual was used. And we don't know what that spell has done to Danny until we find that out or until the spell takes control," Fu dog told them all, not lifting his gaze off Danny who was shaking off the shock of getting soaked while listening to the talking dog worriedly.

"Danny, have you felt compelled to do anything?" Zatanna asked. Danny turned to her before frowning in thought. He had felt compelled to do things. He had felt compelled to carry a thermos with him yesterday. He felt compelled to wait before releasing the now missing ghosts. He felt compelled to lie and hide his black outs. He opened his mouth to admit that but found his voice and lips wouldn't work. He scowled and tried again.

"We'll take that as a yes," Robin interjected, noticing Danny's difficulty.

"Does that mean he can't tell us?" Artemis wondered worriedly.

"I think so. But that does make sense. Whoever put this spell on Danny obviously didn't want us to know," Kaldur remarked. Jake gasped.

"Fu. Do you reckon they made Danny sabotage the potion? I did tell him about it last night," Jake realised, ignoring that he had admitted the potion definitely came from Fu dog and himself, not Zatanna.

"It's possible. But Danny wouldn't know how to do that," Fu dog muttered, surveying the halfa in front of himself with a frown.

Maddie glanced at the defence system control panel beside the front door worriedly.

"Danny, have you turned the defences off and let people into the house at night when we're all asleep?" Maddie inquired fearfully. Everyone turned to Danny, realising the implication of this. Danny sighed and nodded.

"I let Jake and Fu in last night remember," Danny reminded them.

"Did you let anyone in after us?" Jake pressed. Danny blinked and frowned in thought. He had a black out shortly after Jake and Fu dog got to the house. He bit his lip as he realised it was possible. But he didn't know. He didn't even know for himself, let alone was he able to tell the others.

"Danny?" Sam called to her boyfriend worriedly.

"I- I let in Jake and Fu… I don't remember letting anyone else in," Danny answered eventually.

"But you can't be sure," Jazz muttered. Danny turned to his older sister, intending to nod but found himself unable to.

"We can always look at the security footage. There's a camera on the front door," Danielle suggested.

"Brilliant idea. Jazz, take her to check them," Maddie agreed. Jazz nodded obediently and gestured for Danielle to follow her. Ember had finally stopped glaring at Danny, gradually understanding that the halfa honestly didn't know where her friends were.

Danny dropped his gaze to his hands before they curled into fists. He thought he had everything under control. But he hadn't. He was someone's puppet. It was worse than when Freakshow took him over. That at least had been obvious and Sam and Tucker had been able to fight it. But this time… he hadn't known. He had two periods of time uncounted for. Who knew what he had done during those times!? He was scared. What if the next time he came to his senses he had done something unforgiveable? Had he already done something bad? Where were Skulker, Kitty and Johnny?! What had he done to them?!

"Danny, you okay?" Tucker inquired worriedly. Danny took a deep breath before he phased through the floor into the lab and grabbed a thermos before returning to the living room.

"I can't be trusted. Here," Danny decided and handed the device to Sam. Sam stared at the thermos in stunned silence.

"Please Sam," Danny whispered.

"No. You're being ridiculous Danny," Sam snapped sharply, shoving the device onto the couch beside her, almost like it had burned her.

"Am I!? I'm not in control of myself! I could try to hurt you, all of you," Danny exclaimed.

"You wouldn't. I know you Danny. And I know what you're thinking. You stopped yourself hurting anyone when Freakshow was controlling you," Sam replied.

"Really? Then where are Skulker, Kitty and Johnny?! Tell me! Because I have no idea what I did to them! I can't be trusted! Freakshow's staff controlled my ghost side. This controls me! All of me. It's different," Danny argued firmly, his concern and fear evident to everyone. Sam stared at her boyfriend before shaking her head.

"I can't. What will happen if we can't find a cure without you?" Sam whispered fearfully. Danny growled in frustration before turning to Tucker.

"Please Tuck," he pleaded. Tucker blinked in shock, torn between Sam and Danny's pleading gazes, both pleading him to do something different. Tucker picked up the thermos.

"We'll let you out in the ghost cell if we need your help," Tucker decided. Danny nodded in agreement and readied himself to be sucked inside the device.

 **So they figured out that Danny is being controlled.**

 **But… will they be able to suck Danny into a thermos?**

 **Let me know what you guys think so far.**

 **Don't forget to check out my website and cast your vote in the poll. There's a link in my bio.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	27. Chapter 27

No one noticed the orange cat gazing through the slight ajar living room window. But the cat could see and hear everything happening inside. The cat watched as the talking dog threw the revealing powder, hissing softly in anger as the powder took effect and revealed the enchantment on the halfa. The cat ducked away from the window as he saw two girls heading towards the stairs, passing the window on their way. The cat scowled at their backs before turning to the others and growling softly to itself when the halfa disappeared only to reappear with a thermos. The cat's red eyes pulsed as it sent a message to its master.

Danny took a deep breath and nodded to Tucker as the young mayor stood up.

"Anything you want to tell us before I suck you in?" Tucker asked, trying to stall what he didn't want to do. Danny shook his head. Tucker reluctantly took the lid off the thermos and turned the device on.

"Please Tucker. I don't want to hurt anyone," Danny encouraged pleadingly, seeing that his friend was hesitating. Tucker sighed and nodded.

"Alright dude," he mumbled as his thumb hovered over the capture button and he aimed the device at his best friend.

Suddenly Danny's eyes pulsed black, startling Tucker and Sam. Danny's expression completely changed, becoming almost lifeless. Before anyone could react, Danny's hand shot up and released a ghost ray at Tucker. Tucker was blasted back into the couch as he dropped the device and Danny grabbed the thermos from the ground within seconds. He turned to Ember and captured her before she could stop him. He then phased up through the ceiling.

"What just happened!?" Maddie shouted fearfully.

"I think Danny just turned to the dark side," Wally muttered stunned. Artemis hit his arm angrily.

"Not the time for your jokes!" she snapped.

"Wait, he went up. Jazz and Dani!" Sam realised before jumping to her feet and sprinting up the stairs towards the Ops centre. The others gasped worriedly and rushed after her.

Jazz and Danielle watched the security footage, Jazz sitting in the chair while her adoptive sister peered over her shoulder.

"They might have gone through the back door," Danielle remarked, knowing there wasn't a camera on that door. Jazz hummed softly in agreement but didn't move her gaze from the screen. She had fast forwarded through Danny's first night back and had just started on the second night. Suddenly Danielle felt someone grab her shoulders and roughly throw her across the room. She shook the surprise off and turned to where she had been standing seconds ago. Danny, in his ghost form, had just kicked Jazz's office chair forcefully away from the security hub. He then turned to the screens and charged his hands with green energy. Danielle gasped. She didn't know why her adoptive brother was doing what he was doing, but she understood that if she didn't stop him, he'd destroy the security hub.

She jumped into the air and sped towards him. She threw a weak ghost ray at his shoulder and knocked his aim off, causing his ghost ray to smash a nearby window instead. Danny turned to her. Danielle gasped fearfully. His face was almost emotionless, there was only a hint of annoyance. She didn't understand it. Her gaze suddenly caught something white on his belt. A Fenton thermos. The light was blinking. There was a ghost inside that thermos. Danny turned back to the security hub but Danielle recovered herself in order to lunge at him and shoved him away from the computers. Danny turned back to her as the others reached the Ops centre and Jazz finally recovered from the shock of being attacked by her brother.

"What's going on?" she called to the others worriedly.

"Danny's not in control right now. Whoever cast the spell has given him an order," Fu dog answered, scowling at the two halfas. Danielle was standing between Danny and the security hub, determined to protect it. Danny's glazed eyes flicked between Danielle and the security hub.

"Move," Danny ordered, his monotone voice sending a shiver down Danielle's spine.

"No. I won't. Please Danny, stop this. You threw off Freakshow's control. You told me all about it. You can fight this too," Danielle implored hopefully.

"I would rather not hurt you. Move," Danny retorted firmly, but emotionlessly. Danielle raised an eyebrow, that wasn't what she expected Danny to say.

"Uh, Fu?" Jake muttered in confusion.

"Danny has a certain amount of leeway. He has orders that he _has_ to complete. But he can choose how to carry out those orders to a certain degree. It depends on the wording of the command," Zatanna explained.

"If he's getting orders, then whoever is controlling him has to be nearby," Kaldur reasoned. Zatanna and Fu dog shared a look.

"Not necessarily," Fu dog began.

"But in order to know that Danny needed these orders to prevent us figuring it out, then yes," Zatanna resumed.

With no warning, Danny charged forward, blasting Danielle off her feet. Danielle, shocked by Danny's brutality, was thrown across the room, crashing into Jazz's chair, missing Jazz standing beside it by inches. Danny's glazed eyes were then fixed on the security hub as he sprinted towards it, charging his hands with bright green ghost energy.

"We can't let him destroy that! There's no back up!" Sam exclaimed fearfully. This was their only possibility of figuring out who was controlling Danny and maybe even how.

"Superboy! Rocket! Stop him!" Kaldur ordered. Both heroes surged forwards. Rocket placed a shield around the computers and Conner ran into Danny's path and grabbed the teen's wrists, wrestling the blasts towards the windows instead of the now protected computers or vulnerable spectators. Danny turned himself intangible and noticed the translucent shield around his target. He threw a ghost ray at Rocket. She squeaked in alarm and dodged the shot quickly. Conner scrambled to his feet and got in Danny's way again but the halfa merely froze the clone in ghost ice and phased through him.

Tucker's eyes went wide and he yanked his PDA out of his pocket and started tapping rapidly as he hacked into the security hub and copied the files into his cloud. Danny once again charged his hands with ghost energy and finally blasted the security hub. Three shots later, the computers were nothing but smoking mangled metal. Danny then jumped into the air and phased through the roof and sped away into the late afternoon sky. Sam stared at the destroyed computers and staggered forward a few steps before dropping to the floor, ignoring the glass shards around her. She reached out a hand and let out a sigh of despair. The security hub was completely destroyed. The footage was gone.

Tucker breathed a sigh of relief. He managed to download everything into his personal cloud just in time.

"I copied the footage," Robin announced. Tucker glanced at the boy wonder.

"Me too. Get everything?" Tucker admitted. Everyone turned to the two teens astonished.

"Not sure. I had to find a back door before I could start copying," Robin confessed.

"Good thing I've been hacking Fenton tech for years. I was in within a second. Let me double check I got the security footage though," Tucker remarked before smirking happily as he found the previous night's footage. Jake, Kaldur and Maddie peered over Tucker's shoulder as they watched the footage.

"There we are," Jake commented as he saw himself struggling with Fu dog's suitcase before ringing the doorbell. The group watched as Danny answered the door and let Jake and Fu dog inside. A little later two figures arrived. One was a female in a green kimono wearing a painted cat-like mask with a wide grin. The other was a teenaged boy wearing a dark suit. There was an orange cat beside the boy also. They didn't ring the doorbell. Instead the boy pulled something black from his pocket and brought the object to his lips. Within a minute, Danny answered the door, this time his face was blank. Danny let them inside and after a time they left, carrying a thermos.

"The Light are controlling Danny," Kaldur declared, recognising Klarion, his cat Teekl and Cheshire easily.

"What does that mean?" Jack asked fearfully.

"It means some of the most dangerous criminals in the world are in control of a very powerful half ghost and that they have at least four ghosts," Robin resumed, seeing the danger instantly. Kaldur nodded.

"Good thing I slipped that tracking device into his breakfast huh?" Robin revealed.

"What?!" Maddie exclaimed angrily.

"Only way to make sure it can't be removed. Also Danny didn't know about it so he can't tell the Light. Give me a minute and I'll activate it," Robin defended himself calmly. Wally rolled his eyes.

"Was this your idea or Batman's?" Wally inquired.

"Batman would have sedated Danny or something and implanted it into his head," Robin retorted casually as he tapped on his computer gauntlet. Maddie and Jack stared at Robin fearfully.

Robin grinned as a soft beeping emitted from his gauntlet. The tracker was active.

"He's heading east. Probably towards that base the Light held him in before. But it's probably better to wait for him to stop before we go after him. He might have orders to fly east and then change direction to where he's actually going," Robin reported.

"Way to go Rob!" Wally cheered. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Tucker, can I see that footage again? I want a second look at what that boy was using," Fu dog requested. Tucker blinked before bringing up the video in question and handing it to the dog. Zatanna knelt beside the talking shar pei to watch the footage as well.

They watched intently as Klarion pulled a crystal ball out of his pocket and muttered something to it.

"That's not traditional blood magic," Zatanna remarked. Fu dog nodded.

"I agree. But I think I know what that kid did. That's not blood in that ball but the Light took Danny's energy. Ghost energy and ectoplasm would be an easy replacement for blood. This method is extremely difficult to detect. The spell is on the crystal ball, not Danny. Danny's connected to that energy though. So to detect that ritual you need to detect the connection first," Fu dog explained. Zatanna looked at the dog and nodded slowly in understanding.

"I think I understand. But how do we break the ritual then?" the magician asked. Fu dog nodded seriously and glanced up as everyone turned to him with worried expressions.

"It's a combination of a variation of blood magic and vessel magic. Destroy the vessel, break the spell. The thing is, Danny will obey whoever holds that vessel. And he can't disobey those orders. He can resist, maybe for a few seconds if he really doesn't want to do whatever he's ordered to do. But he will obey. For now… we can't trust Danny at all. He's the enemy," Fu dog told the group grimly. They all nodded with solemn expressions.

"Can someone get me out of this ice now? I'm getting really cold," Conner called after a few moments of silence.

 **The truth is out. But Danny's gone AWOL. Although Fu dog seems to have an idea about what magic was used to enchant Danny.**

 **Any guesses what will happen next?**

 **Let me know what you guys think so far.**

 **Don't forget to vote in the poll on my website before its too late. There's a link in my bio.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	28. Chapter 28

The numb haze in his mind faded slowly. He blinked and shook his head slightly before he realised that he wasn't in Fenton Works anymore. Danny gasped in horror as he remembered what he had done. He attacked his sisters! He destroyed the security hub! He fell to his knees as he remembered everything he'd done. He led Cheshire and Klarion to Walker's prison and let them take two thermoses filled with ghosts as well as Johnny 13, his shadow, Skulker, Kitty… and Ember!

He didn't know how long he sat in disgusted horror before he shook himself out of that stupor and finally took in where he was. It was a small room. There was a window showing a barren landscape warmed by a late afternoon sun and a wooden door opposite. There was a single bed with a bedside cabinet and lamp. A dresser was also in the room. In the drawers there were clothes and a few books on top. Danny swallowed nervously as he spotted a second door that led to a bathroom with a toilet, sink and shower stocked with toothpaste, shampoo, soap, everything he needed. Finally he edged over to the door. He knew it would be locked but he had to try it at least. He nervously held the handle and pushed it down. The door opened!

Danny gasped in surprise before grinning broadly. Maybe Cheshire and Klarion hadn't lifted their control after all. Maybe he shook it off himself over time. He took a step forwards eagerly but his eyes pulsed black and it was almost like there was an invisible barrier stopping him. He stepped back in confusion before trying again without success. He gasped fearfully. He was trapped in an unlocked room! He backed up and ran at the doorway, but once he reached the wooden archway, he couldn't move forwards. He growled angrily and backed up once again and jumped through the doorway.

He got further but he couldn't walk forwards. His legs refused to work. His eyes flickered black as he felt compelled to return to his room. He gritted his teeth defiantly and struggled to move forward, but he couldn't. It was like his feet were stuck to the floor. He screwed his eyes shut as he resisted the urge to turn around and walk back into that room. The longer he resisted, the harder it became. Eventually, the urge became painful and a terrible headache throbbed behind his eyes. But he still resisted. He would not be a prisoner. Not again. Not like this. Cheshire had humiliated him enough the last time they had him as prisoner. Something warm trickled from his nose, over his taut lips and dripped off his chin. With a determined growl, Danny changed into his ghost form. If he could float, then maybe he would be able to get around the feet stuck problem. But the instant he changed, the urge got even stronger. Against his will, he began to drift backwards into the room. He fought but it was like fighting a tornado. He couldn't stop himself.

Suddenly the feeling was gone and he felt absolutely exhausted. He collapsed to the ground and panted for breath, reverting to human. He opened his eyes and found himself just inside the room doorway. The ground outside was dotted with red and green blood. He lifted a shaky hand to his nose and looked down at his trembling fingers. They were covered in his blood. He staggered to his feet and glared at the doorway before angrily slamming the door shut. He couldn't bear looking at an empty corridor. He couldn't leave this room. He stumbled into the bathroom and looked at his reflection. His chin was covered in blood. He twisted the tap and splashed water on his face, cleaning the blood off easily. He then changed into his ghost form and cleaned the green blood off his ghostly chin. Once clean and dry, he flopped on the bed in the cell. He crossed his arms angrily and glared at the ceiling.

Gradually the anger faded, leaving fear behind. He attacked his sisters. It had been easy too. He could try to convince himself that it wasn't him but he hadn't even fought the order. He obeyed without question and that filled him with shame. He shook his head and tried to figure out exactly what and when he did things under their control. The memories from those previous blackouts were hazy at best. He helped Cheshire and Klarion take those prisoners in Walker's prison. He remembered that. He fought off Walker and his guards but he couldn't remember exactly how bad that fight was. He knew he sent a duplicate rather than himself, but he couldn't remember if he held the ghosts off or if he fought to incapacitate them. Either way he knew Walker would add those actions to his growing list of crimes. He sighed softly. He then remembered that he told Klarion about what Jake gave him and the potion. He gave them the thermos with the missing ghosts. He helped Klarion sabotage the potion. But he remembered earlier that day best. He blasted Tucker. He captured Ember. He attacked Jazz, Rocket, Danielle and Conner. He destroyed the security hub. Then he flew here and handed Ember over to Cheshire before being brought to this room and being ordered to not leave this room by Klarion.

Danny was startled out of his thoughts by the door opening. He glanced at the person entering the room and scowled furiously at Cheshire. She was standing in the doorway, arms folded, mask off showing her smug smirk.

"Hey cutie. By the way, if you try to attack me, I can stop you with ease so there's no point," Cheshire warned him calmly. Danny returned to glaring at the ceiling. If he couldn't fight back, he wouldn't co-operate at least. He was not giving the assassin the satisfaction.

"It was entertaining watching you try to escape by the way," Cheshire taunted with a snigger. Danny gritted his teeth. He knew what Cheshire was doing. She wanted a reaction. Cheshire chuckled, clearly enjoying herself. Suddenly she was perched on the bed beside him. She tauntingly pinched his cheek, Danny angrily swatted her hand away and flicked his furious gaze from the ceiling to the woman beside him. Cheshire was grinning at him.

"Upsie daisie cutie. Bosses want to meet you," Cheshire cooed. Danny shifted his gaze back to the ceiling and ignored the woman. Cheshire frowned at him.

"You do realise that you've been ordered to follow my orders. I can force you to do as I say," Cheshire reminded him. Danny frowned in annoyance. He remembered that little detail alright. He also remembered Cheshire relishing in commanding him around. But he wasn't going to obey her unless he had no choice. He refused to stoop that low. Cheshire huffed impatiently and stood up.

"Fine. Be like that. I order you to follow me. You may leave this room, only if you are accompanied by me," Cheshire commanded. Danny's human blue eyes pulsed black. He growled softly as the order registered in his mind.

"Get up," Cheshire added. Danny got off the bed obediently but he refused to act like an obedient pet, folding his arms and refusing to look at the woman, smirking at him.

"Come along Phantom," Cheshire called and clicked her tongue. Danny snarled at the woman's back as he was compelled to follow her out of the room. He hesitated at the doorway as his master's, no Klarion's, order to stay in the room and Cheshire's order to follow her clashed. His current order won out and he followed her down the corridor. He scanned the corridor intently. If he ever got out of that room without being ordered to follow someone, then he might just be able to escape. Cheshire led Danny down a flight of stairs and into a dark room where there were numerous monitors showing glowing white figures. Klarion stood to one side petting Teekl.

"Ah, Danny Phantom. Thank you for coming," one of the monitor's called to him. Cheshire turned to Danny.

"Stand in the centre of the room and don't move until you're told," she ordered softly. Danny growled softly as the order registered and he obediently walked to the centre of the room and became rooted to the spot.

"Nothing to say?" another figure questioned with amused surprise. Danny sighed softly. His orders not to move apparently extended to his mouth which meant he couldn't talk, not that he particularly wanted to speak with these people.

"Phantom, answer your superiors," Klarion growled. Danny smirked slightly and remained silent. He didn't consider these people his superiors so while the order registered it meant nothing to him. He knew, because of the spell, that Klarion and Cheshire were his superiors but these figures weren't.

"Phantom, did you hear me?" Klarion snarled impatiently.

"Of course I did," Danny answered, compelled to answer due to his orders.

"The smart-aleck is using your words against you Klarion. Phantom, answer all questions asked in this room. You can move but not from that spot," Cheshire corrected the orders. Danny scowled in annoyance, and shot the woman a glare. She raised an eyebrow.

"Understood?" she pressed.

"Yes," Danny gritted out.

"Do you know why you're here?" a figure wondered. Danny turned to the monitor the question came from and shrugged.

"I have an idea but nothing for certain," he admitted.

"What do you suspect?" the voice pressed curiously. Danny sighed softly as he knew he had to answer.

"I think you want me as your weapon. You kidnapped me to make it easier to take ghosts to steal energy from which you're gonna use to power a weapon," Danny recalled.

"Have you told others of your suspicions? And if so, who?" another figure asked. Danny mentally swore. He had hoped to have kept it secret that his friends knew his suspicions.

"Yes. I told my girlfriend," Danny told them carefully, snapping his mouth shut before he started a list of everyone currently at Fenton Works.

"Tell us everyone you told Phantom," Klarion ordered. Danny shut his eyes angrily as his eyes pulsed black.

"Tucker, Sam, my mom and dad. Dani, Jake, Spud, Jimmy. Robin, Artemis, Zatanna, Rocket, K-Aqualad, Superboy, Kid Flash, Miss Martian," Danny listed, nearly slipping up on Kaldur's name and making sure not to reveal further names.

"You changed what you were going to say. Why?" a figure pointed out. Danny looked defiantly at the figure.

"Because I'm not going to tell you anything further about them. They're my friends," Danny growled protectively.

"Tell us everything you know about Aqualad," Klarion ordered sharply. Danny's eyes pulsed black but he clamped his mouth down tightly. He refused to tell these people what he knew but the urge to obey was strong. A headache formed quickly and only intensified when Klarion repeated the order angrily.

"He's… an Atlantean," Danny choked out as his nose began to bleed but he knew now that he had to stay human. The spell was stronger in his ghost half. If he changed, he'd tell them everything.

"We know that. Tell us what we don't know!" Cheshire snapped. Danny groaned as his head started to spin.

"He's… leader… of Young Justice," Danny gasped out, unable to stop himself, screwing his eyes shut in pain and concentration. Bright lights flashed in front of his eyes. He didn't notice as his legs gave way and he fell to the ground.

"Stop the order Klarion. There's no point pushing this further," a voice interjected. Klarion whined softly.

"Fine, ignore those orders on Aqualad," Klarion relented. Instantly the pain and pressure lifted off Danny, he slumped tiredly on the ground and panting for air.

"At least we know that he can't turn on us," a figure remarked while Danny recovered.

"That's right. He can't disobey an order but he can resist orders. The worst he can do is pass out from ignoring a command," Klarion confirmed.

"It also seems to be stronger in his ghost form," Cheshire added helpfully. Danny glared weakly at Cheshire but he knew that they were right. He could barely resist orders, let alone go against those orders. He was trapped.

 **A little more about how the spell works. And how Danny's handling this situation.**

 **Will Danny be able to escape? And if yes, how?**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Don't forget to check out my website and vote for the next fanfic to be posted! There's a link in my bio.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	29. Chapter 29

The monitors asked Danny a few questions about what he told people about his suspicions and what they had figured out. They also asked about his elevated energy problem which Danny answered angrily, he didn't think he could resist another order so soon. He silently decided to only resist orders he knew would endanger others if he obeyed but all other orders, he would have to obey. The effort often wasn't worth it.

"That is all for now. Welcome to the Light Danny Phantom," one of the figures concluded the meeting before all the screens switched off. Danny scowled and bit back an angry retort.

Teekl jumped out of Klarion's arms and the Witch Boy strolled over to Danny. He hummed softly.

"What are you thinking Klarion?" Cheshire wondered curiously.

"I'm thinking that those baby heroes might be able to track down my new pet," Klarion muttered with a grin. Danny glowered at the teenager furiously.

"So, I think I should give some orders to make sure Phantom can't help them rescue him," Klarion resumed. Cheshire blinked before nodding in agreement.

"Good idea Klarion. Anything you have in mind?" Cheshire agreed.

"First, see this Phantom," Klarion began and pulled a crystal ball filled with swirling black energy out of his suit jacket. Danny glanced at the crystal ball and scowled. He suspected what the item was and he knew that if he was right then he needed to get it away from Klarion and everyone else in the Light.

"You will protect this with your life. If you gain possession of it, you will give it to me and only me. You cannot repeat these orders to anyone," Klarion commanded. Danny's eyes pulsed black and he instantly felt protective of the crystal ball. Well there went that plan. Cheshire grinned.

"If your friends find you and get you out of your room, you will lead them to the ghosts," Cheshire added. Danny bit his tongue lightly, hoping against hope that they'd not tell him where the ghosts were.

"Great idea Cheshire! We can make a trap for them. Come on Phantom," Klarion called and led the way out of the meeting room and down the corridor. Danny sighed softly in defeat and followed the lord of chaos, Cheshire trailed along behind the halfa with a grin. They went down two flights of stairs and arrived at a heavy door glowing softly green.

"This door is lined with ectoranium," Klarion informed Danny casually as he opened the door. Danny eyed the door nervously as he followed Klarion inside.

The room was massive and filled with towering stacks of cages. A number of the lower cages were occupied by ghosts.

"Dipstick! I'm gonna kill you!" Ember shouted furiously. Danny blinked and turned to the ghostly diva. His angry scowl melted into guilt and sympathy as he saw Ember locked in a cage barely large enough for her. A few cages over Danny spotted Johnny 13 glaring at him.

"Phantom! Pay attention!" Klarion snapped impatiently. Danny flinched and turned to the lord of chaos obediently.

"Do you know your way here?" Klarion asked. Danny sighed before shrugging.

"I know the vague direction but not really," he admitted softly. He knew better than to lie right now. These people could order him to tell the truth. They could probably use the crystal ball to cause him great pain or anguish.

"Cheshire will show you the way again. Make sure you know the way," Klarion decided. Cheshire glanced at the teenager but didn't object.

"Once you lead those friends here, you will press that button over there. It will activate the alarm system. The door will lock itself and the vents will begin to fill this room with a sedative that works on ghosts. You are to fight your friends until you pass out. Understood?" Klarion ordered, pointing to a large red button on the wall. Danny sighed again as his eyes pulsed black and he nodded sadly.

"Yeah," he muttered.

Danny didn't notice as Ember and Johnny's glares faltered. They glanced at each other in confusion. They knew the halfa pretty well. And they knew that Danny Phantom wouldn't willingly agree to lead his friends into a trap, let alone hurt them. Something was wrong. Ember recalled what the talking dog told everyone at Fenton Works. The dog said that Danny was under a spell that he couldn't disobey. The two people ordering the halfa around must be the ones behind that enchantment. They watched as Danny followed Cheshire and Klarion out of the room and heard the heavy door thud shut.

"What's with the punk?" Johnny hissed.

"No idea. But the whelp is clearly a prisoner also," Skulker retorted from a distant corner.

"I think those two with the dipstick have him under a spell. He has to follow their orders. He has no choice," Ember ventured carefully.

"Wait, where did you get that?" Kitty asked with surprise from behind Ember. Ember turned to look through the bars at her friend.

"I went to Fenton Works to find you guys. Dipstick said he didn't know where you guys were and everyone looked really worried. So this talking dog volunteered to try and figure out what was going on and blew this blue stuff on the dipstick. Turned out someone used blood magic on him," Ember explained.

"Blood magic!?" Skulker exclaimed in alarm.

"That's what he said. Why, you know something about it? I kinda got sucked into a thermos before the dog could explain properly," Ember inquired curiously.

"Yes, it is powerful magic. And there are numerous variations on it. If those two cast blood magic on the whelp then he truly has no way to rebel against them. He is even more of a prisoner than us. If we get out of our cages, we can escape. But the whelp can't. As long as that spell is working, he is their puppet," Skulker replied.

"How do you know about magic?" Kitty called curiously.

"You hunt rare creatures for as long as I have and you eventually stumble across the magical world. That, and I did some research in Ghost Writer's library," Skulker admitted.

"So, he isn't to blame for us ending up here?" Johnny ventured carefully.

"No. He isn't. Not if they ordered him to hand us over to them. And if he didn't know where we were, they likely ordered him to forget what they made him do," Skulker confirmed grimly.

"So, what do we do?" Kitty muttered fearfully.

"Can't we help the dipstick Skulker? I mean if we're all prisoners, then we gotta work together," Ember suggested.

"I don't know. But perhaps we can help the whelp's friends by warning them that this is a trap," Skulker replied. Ember glanced at Kitty and Johnny. The couple nodded in agreement to the suggestion.

"We're all up for it. What about the rest of you lot!?" Ember shouted, turning her gaze to the ghosts from Walker's prison.

"Eh? To be honest, it's not much different here than Walker's prison," one ghost remarked uncaringly.

"It will be when those people start experimenting," Skulker growled loudly.

"Let's put it this way, if you can guarantee we'll get out and _stay_ free, we'll help. But if it's just to save the halfa, then no thanks," another ghost interjected calmly and a number of ghosts called out in agreement. Ember scowled at the ghosts nearest her.

"You do know that the dipstick will save us. He likes to play the hero. He's not about to abandon us here," Ember pointed out.

"He's the reason we're here. He led those two into Walker's prison and let them suck us into those stupid thermoses," a ghost grumbled angrily.

"Have you not been listening!? The whelp isn't accountable for his actions. He must obey those people," Skulker retorted sharply.

"I've been listening. You said, even if he could escape this building, he'll still be their puppet. Which means helping him is pointless," a female ghost snarled. Ember, Skulker, Kitty and Johnny fell silent as they knew the other ghosts were right. Helping Danny was pointless. But… helping his friends wasn't.

"Can you at least help Phantom's friends?" Kitty shouted to the room. The ghosts glanced between themselves before giving their agreement. They'd help people that could actually free them. Ember grinned at Kitty. Now they just had to figure out how they could get Danny's friends to listen to them over the halfa. Yeah, none of them were looking forward to that debate. Especially, Johnny, Kitty, Ember and Skulker.

 **Well, the enemy of my enemy is my friend after all.**

 **So a trap has been set for the rescue team. And the ghosts have been found…**

 **Let me know what you guys think so far.**

 **The poll will be closing within the next few days. Make sure you have your say. Check out my website for the chance to vote. There's a link in my bio.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	30. Chapter 30

Kaldur sighed softly and glanced back at everyone crammed in the Bioship. Jake and Fu dog had refused to stay behind and Zatanna vouched for them for some strange reason she refused to tell the others about. Sam and Danielle had also insisted on coming, and after the last time Kaldur dealt with Sam, he learnt his lesson to just give in to the Goth. Tucker had thankfully decided to stay behind. The young mayor had a meeting that afternoon that he couldn't miss. Jazz also convinced her parents to stay at Fenton Works to keep working on a cure for Danny's elevated energy. Jimmy had volunteered to help, obviously not eager to encounter the Light or dangerous ghosts again.

"We're ten minutes away from where the tracker is," Robin announced.

"You mean Danny," Danielle corrected.

"Hopefully. But the Light are crafty. They might suspect that we put a tracker on Danny and found it," Robin replied with a shrug, swivelling to face the girl.

"Rob, you put it in his food when he wasn't looking," Artemis pointed out.

"Yeah, and Danny can turn intangible. I'm sure he'd be able to phase it out if he found it," Robin reminded her.

"That's true actually. Danny's phased things out of his stomach before," Sam recalled with a frown.

"Why would he have to?" Rocket inquired with disgust.

"He was stressed. Eating too fast and swallowed a spork by accident," Sam elaborated. Rocket wrinkled her nose and shook her head in disgust.

Kaldur sighed and turned to Robin, wordlessly asking for a blueprint of the base. Robin smirked and tapped on his gauntlet, bringing up a holographic map.

"These are old blueprints from when the building was built and using satellite imaging, we know the exterior hasn't been changed. But we can't be sure about underground or inside," Robin reported. Kaldur frowned in thought.

"This is all we have?" Kaldur pressed, hoping the boy wonder would reveal some more. Robin nodded apologetically.

"The building was labelled as condemned a few years ago but the contractors meant to knock it down got bought off anonymously. It didn't register with the league but I'd bet that the Light were involved," Robin explained. Kaldur pinched the bridge of his nose and huffed softly. This was not the best case scenario. He wasn't comfortable taking four heavily emotionally involved people on this mission with next to no experience fighting with the team. There was a high chance that Danny would attack them and they needed to be prepared to subdue the halfa, potentially hurt the teen. Another factor was that this was a covert rescue mission, without Batman's go ahead. This entire mission was on Kaldur. And that meant that any casualties were the Atlantean's responsibility.

"M'gann, link us up. ETA Robin?" Kladur muttered. M'gann's eyes pulsed green as she linked everyone's minds telepathically.

"ETA in five now," Robin reported.

" _Fu dog, are you linked up? I have very little experience communicating with non-humanoid beings_ ," M'gann asked telepathically.

" _Yeah, I'm linked up_ ," Fu dog confirmed calmly. A number of the teens blinked in surprise at the dog. Most people experienced some discomfort when first exposed to a mental link. The shar pei shrugged.

" _Not my first telepath. But wooh! You should have seen her. She had this way of scratching my-_ " Fu dog began with a dreamy grin, his short tail starting to wag.

"Fu! I don't want that image in my head! That's just nasty!" Jake exclaimed and shuddered.

"Yeah, I'm with Jake on this one," Zatanna remarked. Fu dog shrugged and dismissed the memory with a sigh.

Kaldur raised an eyebrow at the strange canine before shaking his head slightly and focusing back on the task at hand. He needed to figure out how he was going to go about rescuing Danny. They also had to investigate the kidnapped ghosts.

"M'gann, Danielle, Conner and Fu dog. You're going to look for Danny. If you can't get him to co-operate… I hate saying it, but try and knock him out or suck him in a Fenton thermos. Robin, Zatanna, Wally and Sam. You are going to look for those ghosts. Artemis, Rocket and myself will protect the Bioship and subdue any potential hazards in the area," Kaldur delegated.

"Hang on. You forgot me," Jake called. Kaldur sighed. He honestly didn't know where to put Jake.

"Which job suits you then? Looking for Danny, looking for the ghosts or protecting the Bioship? And be honest," Kaldur inquired.

Jake blinked in surprise before he considered the three teams. Atlanteans were out of dragon jurisdiction. While the aquatic people had numerous dealings with merfolk and similar magical creatures, they weren't part of Jake's responsibility. That meant revealing what he was to Kaldur, wasn't really an option. That meant protecting the Bioship had three people who didn't know his true nature. Then it came down to the other teams. Zatanna, Sam, Fu dog and Danielle knew about what he was. True Danielle found out by accident but that didn't matter right now. So he had to consider who he wanted to find out in the worst case scenario. M'gann and Conner or Robin and Wally. If he were honest with himself, he didn't want Robin to find out the truth. Not if he could help it. The boy wonder would tell Batman and if Batman learned of the numerous dangers in the magical community, he may just prepare and become a threat Jake would have to remove. Also, he didn't want to deal with Wally while he tried to convince everyone that magical creatures couldn't be real. Therefore that left M'gann and Conner. And really, both heroes weren't in a position to decide what was and what wasn't possible. They were the most trusting too and as aliens they'd probably seen strange things before.

"I'd like to look for Danny as well Kaldur," Jake finally answered. Kaldur sighed in defeat and nodded.

"Fine. Everyone know what to do? The team looking for Danny are code named team alpha. The team looking for the ghosts or any connecting information, team beta. And the rest protecting the Bioship are team gamma. Okay?" Kaldur concluded, seeing everyone nodding in understanding and agreement.

A few minutes later, M'gann landed the Bioship a safe distance away from the secluded factory. It used to produce chemical agents for the American military but was decommission after the cold war ended. Later it was used for pharmaceuticals. The entire complex was then closed down almost fifteen years ago now and fell into decay. After an accident with a group of teenagers six years ago, the building was labelled dangerous and a couple of years later was condemned. As such, the complex looked old and was covered with cracks and ivy. However the building itself was surrounded by crumbling concrete, almost a mile in diameter with no vegetation. The Bioship was in camouflage mode among the nearest trees. The teens filed out of the alien vehicle and gathered at the edge of the vegetation.

" _Robin. Where can team alpha and beta get into that building_?" Kaldur inquired telepathically. Robin hummed softly and tapped on his computer gauntlet.

" _There's an old bomb shelter on the south side. Reports say the corridor leading to it collapsed and left a hole in the ground. It was then blocked off and made into a storm drain. But it should be easy enough to use that to get inside with Superboy. As for team beta, we can use the vents. There's an access hatch on the roof that should be easy enough to get to_ ," Robin informed the group after a few minutes.

" _How likely is it that the Light missed those entry points_?" Kaldur questioned. Robin shrugged.

" _They might have guards on the roof and down in the basements. But the storm drain could easily be over looked. I can't be sure where it ends up inside though so be careful_ ," Robin answered.

" _Alright then. Miss Martian will go down first. You can shape-shift to have gills so it's safest that you check if it's flooded or completely collapsed_ ," Kaldur decided. The members of team alpha nodded before M'gann shifted into her camouflage mode and Danielle grabbed Conner and Jake and turned them all invisible. Fu dog ran after the translucent Martian, grumbling under his breath. Kaldur glanced at Sam.

"Sam, listen to Robin on this mission. Please don't go AWOL this time," Kaldur called softly. The Goth gave him a stiff nod before running after the rest of her team as Robin led them to a safe spot to get on the roof.

Kaldur glanced at the two teens left. They smiled at him as Artemis pulled out her bow and notched an arrow ready.

"Don't worry Kaldur. The others will make sure Sam, Fu dog, Danielle and Jake stay with them and protect them," Rocket muttered reassuringly.

"You don't know them like we do. Sam has a thing about disobeying orders," Artemis retorted softly. Kaldur sighed, nodding in agreement.

"We should start patrolling the surrounding area. Artemis, go west. Rocket, go east and I'll take south. Watch your backs," Kaldur delegated softly and the trio of heroes split up.

 **Rescue mission has started. But will they trigger the trap and get caught? Or will the ghosts warn the heroes in time to stop Danny?**

 **Let me know what you guys think so far.**

 **Don't forget to check out my website and vote in the poll. There's a link in my bio.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	31. Chapter 31

"Kid you sure you should have come along?" Fu dog whispered as the group of five crept through the damp storm drain. It seemed that the group had struck gold. The storm drain wasn't flooded and the grate had rusted so much that even Fu dog could have pulled it off. But no one dared to comment how lucky they'd been so far because the drain might be blocked or guarded at the end. Jake shrugged.

"I came to help. I'm not gonna just sit in the Bioship Fu. I thought about this. This was the best team to go with," Jake muttered. Fu dog sighed.

"Alright, just be careful. We're pushing it as it is with me talking around them. I'm just relieved they aren't asking questions," Fu dog replied quietly.

"Great! It's blocked. And if I punch through it, then we're gonna alert everyone that we're here," Conner hissed.

"Hem hem! Hello? Ghost. I can just phase us through," Danielle interjected and folded her ghostly arms, raising an eyebrow at the older teens. M'gann and Conner shared a glance before blushing in embarrassment.

"Sorry Danielle. We're not used to having you work with us. I'm learning to density shift still," M'gann admitted with a small smile. Danielle nodded.

"Can you see through stuff?" Danielle asked Conner. The older teen and fellow clone nodded.

"I can, let me look," Conner confirmed and blinked before turning his gaze to the solid wall. He scowled and blinked again.

"It looks like a warehouse. And I saw a few people in there patrolling by the looks of it but there's crates on the other side," Conner reported. Danielle nodded and grabbed Conner's hand and Jake's before pulling them through the wall, spreading her intangibility over them. She then ducked back into the storm drain and brought M'gann and Fu dog through. The group of five crouched down together.

"The bosses want a status report," a female voice M'gann and Conner recognised as Cheshire announced, a heavy door thudding shut behind her.

"We are partners, not servants!" a man snapped angrily.

"Whatever. How many collars and energy storage units have you made?" Cheshire retorted.

"We've got a hundred collars and seventy-five units. We have enough for the ghosts in captivity right now," a second man told her.

"We can keep producing as we drain," the first man added.

"That's good. What about that energy reservoir? Is it still leaking?" Cheshire asked. There was a loud sigh.

"We've run out of Phantom's energy to test it. But it should be fixed," the first man admitted, snarling slightly on the word Phantom.

Danielle gasped in recognition. She knew those voices.

" _What is it_?" Conner wondered worriedly through the mind link.

" _I know who those guys are! They're Agents O and K. I've heard them on recordings Danny found at those bases_ ," Danielle recalled.

" _You're sure?_ " Sam inquired worriedly.

" _It's the way they say Phantom. I'd recognise it anywhere. They hate Danny's guts since he got the Guys in White shut down_ ," Danielle explained.

" _Why are they here then_?" Wally questioned.

" _They said something about being partners with the Light and building more collars and energy storage units_ ," Jake informed them.

"We've also doubled the number of weapons we have. Good thing you got to a lot of our bases before Phantom. But the power manipulators aren't ready yet," the second man resumed his report. Team alpha glanced at each other worriedly. Power manipulators didn't sound good.

"We have to do something. We can't hide here all day," Danielle whispered as quietly as possible.

"Could you take a look?" Jake suggested softly. Danielle and Conner glanced at each other before nodding. Conner blinked his eyes and turned his gaze to the crates, activating his x-ray vision. Meanwhile Danielle turned herself invisible and phased through the crates. On the other side of the crates, Cheshire stood in front of two well-built men wearing white suits. Agents O and K. Danielle drifted a few inches above the ground to avoid making any sound. She floated towards the nearest open crate and peered inside. Guys in White grade weapons, all of them in prime condition and with full ammo packs. She gulped silently. This was a ghost's worst nightmare.

She then turned and scanned the room at large. There was a heavy metal door behind Cheshire and there were a number of doors off from the main warehouse-type room. There were no windows, but this room was underground. She surveyed the room again, floating up for a better vantage point but she didn't see any other dangers. She returned to her team mates.

"It's massive out there and looks like only one door out, which is behind that woman in green," Danielle reported quietly.

"We'll have to subdue them. Dani, make sure to keep out of sight for now. This room is full of ghost weapons. You are the one in most danger," Conner suggested, turning to M'gann for her opinion. The green-skinned woman nodded.

They motioned for Jake, Danielle and Fu dog to stay put and edged around the room hidden by the crates before rushing at the two ghost hunters and Cheshire.

"Shouldn't you be helping them?" Danielle whispered, turning to Jake. Jake shrugged.

"Maybe but I can't let them know my secret," Jake admitted.

"Yeah, it's one thing for a talking dog, it's another to reveal that dragons exist," Fu dog agreed. Danielle nodded slowly.

"Dani, Jake, Fu dog. It's safe now," M'gann called softly and the three remaining team members came out of hiding. The group of five scanned the room.

"Should we investigate those rooms?" Danielle asked nervously, Danny's kidnapping had definitely made her wary of ghost hunter labs. M'gann and Conner glanced at each other before shaking their heads.

"No. Our mission is to find and hopefully rescue Danny. But… _Team beta, we're in a warehouse with potential labs branching off them. Might be worth investigating_ ," M'gann decided and informed the others of the situation over the mind link.

" _Thanks M'gann. We'll keep it in mind. Might be a little hard finding it though without a map_ ," Zatanna remarked.

The group of five then crept over to the heavy metal door, having hidden Agents O and K and Cheshire in empty crates. They were under a time pressure now. When they woke up, they'd raise the alarm and the teens would have to worry about guards. They edged into the dark corridor beyond and found a staircase eventually.

" _I finally hacked in. I'm in the security footage now and I found Danny. He's on the second floor. Let me find you guys and I'll give you better directions_ ," Robin informed the group over the mind link. Now with a goal, the group crept up another two staircases and waited for Robin to give them directions.

" _There you are. Alright, from there… turn right and follow the corridor. After the second corner, it's the door in front of you_ ," Robin instructed. The group nodded as one and edged their way through the corridor.

"There's no guards," Fu dog remarked nervously.

"Maybe they don't see the point. Danny is being controlled," M'gann pointed out.

"Hopefully he's not in that weird trance thing," Jake muttered.

"That's only when the enchanter wants it. Also, now Danny's aware, he might be able to stay aware of himself," Fu dog explained.

"I hope so. I don't want to fight him," Danielle mumbled softly.

"You mightn't have a choice. He might have orders to attack us on sight," Conner commented. Danielle shut her eyes in dread. M'gann elbowed the male clone in the arm and frowned meaningfully at him.

"But that's worst case scenario. We should try and be optimistic," Conner amended. Danielle nodded sadly, she knew the Kryptonian was right but that didn't mean she liked it.

They got to the door Robin directed them to and nervously glanced at each other.

"Anyone know how to pick locks?" Conner whispered.

"Nope. Fu, got any magic mojo?" Jake answered softly and turned to the shar pei. Fu dog hummed and began leafing through his many fat folds.

"That's disgusting," Danielle complained quietly. Suddenly the door opened, causing the four teens and dog to freeze.

"How did you guys find me?" Danny's voice asked incredulously. The members of team alpha turned to the halfa.

"If the door's unlocked, why haven't you escaped yet?!" Danielle retorted.

"I can't leave this room. Part of that stupid spell. Any orders Klarion or Cheshire give me I have to obey them," Danny sighed.

"What do you mean you can't leave the room?" Jake questioned. Danny rolled his human blue eyes before taking a step, his eyes pulsed black and everyone saw that Danny couldn't walk another step.

"Answer your question?" Danny remarked.

"Are you stuck now?" Conner wondered worriedly.

"No, I can only step back into the room. If I try to go further, then… let's just say it's not pretty," Danny told them. Everyone frowned at that. Clearly Danny had tried to escape already and failed.

"I see why they left the door unlocked then," Conner muttered. Danny scowled angrily before stepping back into the room.

"It's insulting," the halfa growled. The others nodded slowly in understanding. They stepped into the room, shutting the door behind them.

"What other orders do you have? If we can work with orders you already have, then we might be able to find a loophole," Fu dog suggested. No one saw Danny's eyes flash black as the halfa was facing away from them.

"Cheshire did order me to follow her out the room before. It over-ruled Klarion's order to stay here," Danny informed them reluctantly. M'gann beamed and shape-shifted into Cheshire.

"Then follow me out," M'gann offered brightly. Danny's eyes flashed black again, also unseen. He turned around and grinned.

"Great idea! Lead the way," Danny agreed, following orders Klarion and Cheshire had given him to ensure he didn't tip his rescuers off about the plan.

 **In case it wasn't obvious, Danny has been given a number of other orders to force the halfa to comply and hide the trap. Sneaky huh?**

 **But team alpha think everything's going according to plan.**

 **Any ideas what Agents O and K were talking about? What are the projects they mentioned for?**

 **Let me know what you guys think so far.**

 **Make sure you vote in the poll on my website. There's a link in my bio. I'm closing it tomorrow.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	32. Chapter 32

Robin shot a grappling hook up to the roof and grabbed Sam before he used the retracting grappling line to scale the building. Wally used his super-speed to run up the side of the building and Zatanna simply floated up using magic. Once on the roof, Robin led the way to the ventilation shaft and pulled off the grate easily. Then the four teens slipped inside and quietly crawled through the metal tunnels.

"Let me hack in the system," Robin whispered over his shoulder and they all stopped and waited for Robin to hack into the Light system.

" _What is it_?" Conner's voice echoed through the mind link.

" _I know who those guys are! They're Agents O and K. I've heard them on recordings Danny found at those bases_ ," Danielle explained.

" _You're sure_?" Sam inquired worriedly. If those two were here than that meant the Guys in White might be involved. They needed to find Danny and those ghosts as quickly as possible.

" _It's the way they say Phantom. I'd recognise it anywhere. They hate Danny's guts since he got the Guys in White shut down_ ," Danielle recalled.

" _Why are they here then_?" Wally questioned in confusion. Sam peered through the gloom at the speedster.

" _They said something about being partners with the Light and building more collars and energy storage units,"_ Jake informed them.

"That's not good," Zatanna whispered fearfully.

"No, that's a crisis waiting to happen. You have no idea how dangerous ghosts can be. You've seen Danny in action. But there's way more powers out there. Ember can hypnotise crowds of people with her music. There's a wishing ghost that can grant any wish, usually it's twisted into something terrible though. Technus can control any technology," Sam explained softly, her heart starting to beat faster at just the thought of what could happen with that much power in supervillain hands. Zatanna, directly behind Sam, reached forward and put a hand on the Goth's back.

"Don't worry Sam, we're not gonna let that happen," Zatanna assured the girl. Sam nodded mutely but she had a bad feeling in her stomach. Danny's words from a few nights ago on top of Fenton Works came to her mind. Danny had the power to defeat the entire Justice League. At least his alternate self must have done in that horrifying time line. Now the Light had control of the halfa, just as Danny feared.

" _Team beta, we're in a warehouse with potential labs branching off them. Might be worth investigating_ ," M'gann decided and informed the others of the situation over the mind link.

" _Thanks M'gann. We'll keep it in mind. Might be a little hard finding it though without a map_ ," Zatanna remarked.

"Rob, you finished hacking yet?" Wally called softly.

"No. This is some high tech security. Too high tech for my gauntlet to break through. If I were using the Cave's systems or the Batcave's then I'd already be in but I'm having trouble. I have to find a backdoor," Robin explained quietly, clearly frustrated.

"Can we keep moving though? I'm getting too big for sitting in vents all day," Wally complained. Robin glanced at the speedster before sighing.

"Fine, we'll get out of the vents and find somewhere to hide. Then I'll hack in," Robin compromised and began crawling again.

It didn't take long for Robin to reach a hatch out of the vents. He peered through the grate and confirmed that it was safe before pushing the grate off as quietly as possible and led the group out of the dusty cramped vents. They found themselves in an old office that looked disused. The large desk was covered in a thick film of dust and the door was locked. Robin turned to his gauntlet again and resumed hacking into the system. Sam, Zatanna and Wally surveyed the room quietly.

"I hope the others find Danny," Sam mumbled unexpectedly.

"I'm sure they will. And I bet Zee and Fu dog can break the spell," Wally comforted the Goth. Zatanna bit her lip and avoided Sam's gaze. She wasn't so sure of that. Blood magic was powerful and dangerous. Vessel magic also had its dangers. They couldn't know for certain that destroying the vessel wouldn't hurt Danny. It could make the situation worse. The spell might be released and send Danny into a craze without a master to control him. But the magician wasn't going to break Sam's hope.

" _I finally hacked in. I'm in the security footage now and I found Danny. He's on the second floor. Let me find you guys and I'll give you better directions_ ," Robin announced over the mind link. Sam gasped.

"How is he? Is he hurt?" Sam questioned worriedly.

"As far as I saw, no. He's fine. Probably more angry and annoyed about being a prisoner again than anything else," Robin answered calmly as he scanned through numerous security videos. Sam breathed a deep sigh of relief. Knowing her boyfriend was at least unharmed eased her worries. After a few minutes of searching Robin smirked.

" _There you are. Alright, from there…_ " Robin began and then quickly used the security footage to map out a route for team alpha.

" _Turn right and follow the corridor. After the second corner, it's the door in front of you_ ," Robin instructed and nodded as he spotted team alpha nod on the footage and head off purposefully following his directions.

"What should we do then Rob?" Wally asked softly, waiting for Robin's verdict as the boy wonder currently had access to the Light security footage and hopefully the mainframe. Robin held up a finger before typing on the gauntlet again. A few seconds later, the youngest teen on the team grinned.

"Gotcha. They've got the ghosts in cages down in the basement. It's pretty close to where team alpha were earlier actually. We can free the ghosts and then check out those labs," Robin suggested, glancing up.

"I say we check the labs first. And we should probably grab some extra ghost weapons in case the ghosts attack us," Sam recommended.

"Alrighty then. Lead the way Rob," Wally concluded and held a hand out to the locked door. Robin chuckled softly at the speedster's antics and pulled out his lock picking tools and knelt down to the keyhole. He peered through the keyhole to make sure the corridor beyond wasn't guarded before he began to pick the lock.

Before long, the group of four were hesitating outside the door into the warehouse team alpha went through. Robin gently pushed the door open and poked his head inside.

"Clear," he muttered before slipping inside. Sam, Zatanna and Wally followed the teen. The room was massive with crates lining the walls and creating narrow aisles throughout the room. Wally paused to look in a crate and saw ten strange rifle-like guns with glowing green detailing. Sam joined the speedster and took one, strapping it over her back. She then took another to examine.

"Full ammo. Pretty powerful too, could destroy a low power ghost," Sam commented knowingly.

"Can you adjust the setting?" Zatanna whispered. Sam nodded and put down the rifle to hold her own pilfered one. She expertly slipped off a cover and fiddled with the wires inside and the glow on the gun dimmed slightly. She closed the panel and nodded to the others watching her.

"We can split into two, that way we can look at the labs quicker. Wally go with Sam, Zatanna with me," Robin suggested. The three other teens nodded calmly. Zatanna and Robin headed towards a door on their right and Sam and Wally headed towards a door on their left. Sam edged the door open and bit her lip worriedly. There were three scientists inside. They seemed to be building devices similar to the collar Danny was forced to wear.

"Three scientists," Sam dared to hiss to the speedster behind her. Wally grinned, stretching his arms out and softly cracking his knuckles.

"Watch and learn," he boasted quietly and used his super speed to rush through the door and subdue the occupied scientists within seconds. He then came to a stop and struck a super-hero pose, his chest puffed out heroically. Sam snorted at the teen as she entered the lab.

"You look like a dork," she teased. Wally's cheesy grin fell before he shrugged.

Sam turned to the work stations and examined the devices. She was right. They were more collars. She spotted a box at the end of the table and peered inside. She gasped in alarm the box was full of collars.

"They're mass producing those energy harvesting collars," she exclaimed softly. Wally nodded, looking at a computer that had thankfully been open before he arrived.

"That's not all. They're building something called a power manipulator. They haven't been able to make a working prototype yet though. But they've built a ghost energy reservoir to hold all the energy they get from the ghosts," Wally called softly.

"We have to get those ghosts out of here," Sam decided. It was bad enough that they had Danny as a weapon but Sam was starting to think that any ghost these people had would be made into a weapon. For what, she had no idea. But it couldn't be good.

Wally nodded and the two teens left the lab and made their way over to where Robin and Zatanna had gone. This lab had a massive vat of green gas inside. Robin was trying to figure out what the gas did while Zatanna examined the rest of the room.

"Done already?" Zatanna asked softly, looking up. Sam spotted two scientists tied up and unconscious in a corner before she shook her head.

"We only looked in one lab but they're mass producing that collar they used on Danny. And I'd bet they're doing the same with those improved storage units Jimmy made them," Sam told them.

"Which means that we have to get the ghosts out of here asap," Wally added. Robin nodded before turning to the others.

"I can only run a simple analysis on this gas without the proper equipment but it looks like modified knock-out gas. I'd guess it's for ghosts in case they get out of their cages.

"Can you block those pipes or something?" Zatanna inquired hopefully. Robin nodded.

"Easily but this mightn't be the only vat in the complex. It would explain why there aren't that many guards around," Robin reasoned. Zatanna, Wally and Sam nodded in understanding and watched as Robin tampered with the release mechanism on the side which linked to the pipes leading away from the vat of gas.

Once they'd finished, they left the lab and crossed the warehouse to use the door. They left the room and easily found the room full of caged ghosts. Wally opened the door and team beta filed into the room. This room was as big as the warehouse and filled with Guys in White grade cages. Sam scanned the cages, looking for familiar faces and soon spotted Ember and Johnny 13. The door thudded shut loudly and drew the ghosts' attention.

"Hey! Let us out!" a number of ghost began shouting. Team beta cringed at the noise and tried to get the ghosts to be quiet.

"Where's the dipstick!?" Ember shouted over the clamour. Sam turned to the ghostly diva.

"The others are looking for him. Why?" Sam answered calmly.

"Oh, because you know that the guys here are controlling him right," Ember pointed out. Sam nodded, frowning in confusion. Of course they knew that, Ember was there when they learnt about the spell on the halfa.

"You can't trust him," Johnny added. Sam opened her mouth to argue that she knew her boyfriend when the door opened behind them.

 **Oh no! Who opened the door!?**

 **Let me know what you think so far of the story.**

 **And the poll is now closed! The winner will be announced in a few days. Keep an eye on my facebook page. There's a link in my bio.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	33. Chapter 33

"Danny, how do you know your way around?" Danielle asked softly as team alpha followed the halfa. Danny, following his orders, had volunteered to show them a secret passage out of the building. Danny glanced over his shoulder. He turned back to the front when his eyes flashed black and he was forced to tell a half-truth.

"I can remember everything I did under their control now. They took me through the secret passage to lose anyone following me. It's lined with enough lead to block all energy escaping," Danny replied softly. He hadn't tried to fight the orders so far for a simple reason. His orders were to take the others to the ghosts and then spring the trap. He wanted them to find the ghosts. He wanted them to save the ghosts. It was his fault that the ghosts were even captured in the first place. But once they got there, he'd start resisting. He couldn't let them get caught. Especially not Danielle. The Light wouldn't hesitate to put his clone under their control and he wouldn't let her have the same fate as him.

Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his chest, so strong he fell to his knees and gave a soft cry of agony.

"Danny!?" Danielle and Jake exclaimed in alarm. Everyone gathered around the halfa worriedly. Danny groaned softly and massaged his chest before stumbling back to his feet, the pain dulling quickly.

"Are you okay?" M'gann asked worriedly. Danny nodded slowly.

"I think so. It's over now whatever it was," Danny mumbled uncertainly. Conner raised an eyebrow at the halfa. Danny wasn't nearly as freaked out as the team were.

"Has that happened before?" Conner wondered. Danny sighed and nodded.

"Once. But it wasn't as bad last time. I dunno, maybe it's part of the spell," Danny reasoned.

"Kid, that's not part of the spell. The spell controls you, it doesn't hurt you unless the enchanter wants that," Fu dog corrected with concern.

"Could it be the elevated energy?" M'gann guessed.

"Maybe," Danny agreed.

"This is bad isn't it?" Jake whispered fearfully, watching the halfa carefully.

"I feel fine now," Danny reassured them.

"Let's just focus on getting you out of here," Conner muttered and gestured for the halfa to lead the way again.

Danny nodded and took the lead again. They were almost there now anyway. Danny knew he wasn't going to escape unless someone got the crystal ball and then knocked him out before he could get it back to Klarion. He hesitated at the dimly glowing door. Danielle assumed that Danny had been ordered to not touch the door and went to open it for him.

"No! Don't touch it!" Danny exclaimed sharply. Danielle stopped, hearing the warning and fear in her adoptive brother's voice.

"It's lined with ectoranium," Danny explained when he felt everyone's eyes on him.

"Oh, why didn't you say so?" Jake chuckled and opened the door for the group. Danny edged reluctantly into the room and his eyes automatically drifted to the large red button on the wall. His eyes flashed black as his order made itself known. Danny shook his head and pushed down the compulsion to obey.

"Danny!" Sam cried out happily and ran to him, embracing him happily. Danny carefully returned the hug, scanning the room quietly, keeping his eyes away from the alarm as much as possible. He saw that Robin, Zatanna and Wally were also here. He hadn't known why only Jake, Danielle, Fu dog, M'gann and Conner were the ones rescuing him and he hadn't asked. The less he knew the better. If he knew, then Klarion could easily interrogate him and learn their plans.

"This isn't a secret passageway," Jake muttered redundantly. Danielle giggled.

"Danny has a terrible sense of direction," Danielle informed the dragon calmly. Sam pulled away from her boyfriend and frowned worriedly at him when she saw how distracted he was.

"This wasn't your fault Danny. You were being controlled," Sam mumbled reassuringly, assuming that he felt guilty about the caged ghosts.

"Whelp!" A voice suddenly called. Danny turned to see Skulker crammed into a cage that was too small for him while in his suit.

"Skulker," Danny replied, acknowledging the ghost calmly.

"We can't help you but we can help them," Skulker told the halfa, confusing the others in the room.

"Thanks, because I can't hold it off forever," Danny remarked gratefully. Skulker nodded.

"Do you know how to get us out?" Skulker inquired.

"Why would Danny know that?" Robin retorted.

"Because he's been here before, duh," Johnny answered. Danny swept his gaze over the room, his gaze lingering on the alarm button before he tore his eyes away.

"No. I don't. You heard what they said. They only gave me orders to stop me interfering," Danny finally admitted.

"What's going on!?" Danielle snapped.

"Dipstick's got orders to lead you lot in a trap. We were just about to warn you lot before he got here," Ember confessed.

Everyone turned to Danny who was keeping his gaze on Skulker. If he had something to focus on, then he could hold off the compulsion to obey his orders longer. But he wouldn't be able to ignore his orders forever, a headache was starting to form from the pressure of resisting the spell.

"Danny, is that true?" Sam whispered. Danny remained silent. He had orders not to reveal the plan to anyone. Skulker didn't count because he already heard the orders but Sam unfortunately did. He was already holding off a direct order from his master, no, Klarion. He refused to accept the Witch Boy as his master even if the spell compelled to think of him as such. Resisting or disobeying another order wasn't possible.

"Wait, orders to stop you interfering. You can't tell us what you've been ordered can you?" Robin realised. Danny glanced at the boy wonder before returning his gaze instantly to the hunter ghost. Seeing his friends here only increased the compulsion to obey his orders and made resisting harder.

"I can try to hold off long enough for you guys to get out of here. But I can't guarantee it," Danny informed them, directing his comment to Skulker purposefully.

"But you said resisting your orders is bad for you," M'gann pointed out worriedly.

"It is. But I can try," Danny grunted. His headache was getting worse. Soon his nose would bleed. He had learnt the stages of consequences for resisting his orders. The first was a headache. Then it was a nose bleed from the pressure building in his mind. Then he'd get dizzy and collapse and probably pass out. As long as he didn't have to change into his ghost form, he'd be able to hold off but if he changed, his body would obey against his will.

"Don't worry Danny. We're not gonna leave you here," Sam muttered reassuringly while the others spread out to find the release button.

"You're not making this easier," Danny mumbled carefully. Sam blinked and took a step away from her boyfriend.

"Reckon it's this big red button!?" Wally shouted to the others. Danny made the mistake of glancing at the speedster. His eyes instantly found the alarm and his eyes flashed black again as his compulsion to obey increased. He groaned and struggled to tear his gaze away from the button. Sam turned to her boyfriend and gasped as she saw a trickle of red blood flow out his nose.

"No! That's the alarm!" Ember yelled sharply. Wally jumped away from the button like he'd been shocked.

"Right, so don't touch. Got it," Wally muttered before jogging away.

"Danny?" Sam ventured.

"N-no," Danny grunted and shook his head. Sam turned to Skulker.

"What are his orders?" she demanded.

"Press the alarm and then fight you lot until he passes out. Pressing the alarm puts this room in lockdown and ghost knock-out gas will flood the room," Skulker answered easily. Sam nodded in understanding. Now she knew his orders, maybe she could help him.

"Danny, look at me. Just focus on me," Sam encouraged and pulled his face to hers. His eyes were flickering with black and his nose was still bleeding.

"N-no. N-not h-helping," Danny mumbled with effort.

"What will?" she asked. Danny shook his head, his gaze returning to the alarm button against his will. He was fighting himself to stop himself taking a step closer to that button. Hearing and seeing his friends wasn't helping. It only reminded him of his orders. Seeing the button was worse. Against his will, he took a step but managed to stop himself taking another. Sam gasped in alarm and grabbed her boyfriend's shoulders, hoping to stop the halfa if he tried to get to the button.

"N-no S-Sam. T-too d-dangerous," Danny groaned as he head started to spin from pain and the pressure of resisting the spell.

"What are you talking about?" Sam retorted, struggling to hold Danny back as he took another step towards the alarm.

"He might attack you to fulfil his orders. If he loses control, he is not accountable for his actions. And part of his orders _is_ to attack you," Skulker explained on Danny's behalf. Sam glanced at the hunter ghost before gasping in alarm as Danny took another step. The halfa had shut his eyes with the effort and pain resisting took, his face pale and tense with concentration. Sweat poured down his face as well as blood from his nose. Sam set her jaw and held onto Danny's shoulders firmly.

"I'm helping you," she decided firmly.

"I found it!" Conner shouted, Danny had refused to be included in the mind link. For many reasons but the first was because he feared that the spell would affect the others. Another was because Danny didn't want to know any of their plans. The numerous cages swung open and the ghosts surged out. The prisoners from Walker's prison cackled happily and flew to phase out of the room through the walls but ended up crashing into the phase-proof walls. Skulker stepped out his cage and stretched, his metal joints creaking loudly. Ember, Johnny and Kitty joined the ghostly hunter and Johnny's shadow flew from a far corner to merge with Johnny once again. Sam pushed her boyfriend back as he tried to take another step. Danny shouted loudly in pain and effort as he fought the spell.

"Go!" He screamed.

"No! Not without you!" Sam growled stubbornly.

Suddenly a blaring alarm sounded. Everyone froze but Danny and Sam as they struggled against each other and the spell on Danny. The door exploded open and Klarion stormed inside. He glared at Danny and instantly understood the situation.

"Phantom! Change into your ghost form. Now!" Klarion shouted. Danny cried out as his transformation rings appeared around his waist. He opened his eyes and gave Sam a desperate and apologetic look.

"I'm sorry," he gasped before he became Phantom. Sam blinked in confusion.

"Get over here," Klarion growled angrily. Danny's green eyes pulsed black and he instantly flew to Klarion's side.

"Explain yourself!" Klarion demanded.

"I obeyed your orders so I could lead them here to save the ghosts and then I resisted. Skulker overheard your orders earlier in here and told the others for me," Danny answered immediately in a monotone and emotionless voice. Sam gasped in horror.

Klarion glowered at the halfa, before he turned to the ghosts in the room.

"We'll discuss your obedience later. Now, get those ghosts back in their cages. Now. And don't let any of your friends stop you, lock them in cages too," Klarion commanded. Danny's eyes pulsed black and he floated into the air and turned to face Sam and the other ghosts. His expression was relaxed, his eyes glazed over. That wasn't Danny Phantom, it was Klarion's puppet, Sam realised in despair.

 **And nothing goes to plan, for everyone.**

 **Will the others stop Danny fulfilling his orders or will Klarion force the halfa to capture all his friends and loved ones?**

 **Let me know what you guys think so far. I'm curious about what theories you guys might have on what will happen.**

 **I'm super busy right now writing a thesis for college so I won't be able to post up an ad for the winner of the poll for a few days. Bear with me though. I will have it up before the end of this fanfic.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	34. Chapter 34

" _Klarion's in control of Danny_!" Sam shouted over the mind link as she rolled away from her boyfriend when he dove at her. The halfa swooped up and blasted a random ghost into a cage, which Klarion shut magically. The Witch Boy was also blasting ghosts and attacking Sam but for some strange reason, Skulker, Johnny, Kitty and Ember were protecting her.

" _What do you mean_?" Jake asked worriedly.

" _He's in a trance or something and attacking me and the ghosts. I think the spell's stronger when he's in ghost form_ ," Sam explained.

" _So, we have to get him to change back to human_ ," Zatanna decided.

" _Easier said than done. Danny's a lot stronger in his ghost form_ ," Danielle commented.

" _And I don't think he can resist Klarion like this either. And I think both Danny and Klarion know it_ ," Sam revealed.

" _What makes you think that_?" Wally wondered.

" _He used the last seconds of free will he had after Klarion's order to change to Phantom to apologise to me. He knew this would happen_ ," Sam recalled, dodging a ghost ray Danny shot at her.

" _What's his orders_?" Conner asked.

" _Basically, get us all in cages. Don't let us stop him_ ," Sam told them.

" _Then we need to work together. We can use our numbers against him. We have a thermos_ ," Robin suggested as he ran back to Sam and the fight. The boy wonder jumped and flipped to the top of a stack of cages and lunged at Danny. The halfa viciously blasted the teen back. Robin only missed getting locked into a cage by grabbing on to a ghost and spinning around to land on the ground safely. While Robin distracted Danny, Wally, Danielle and Conner arrived and joined Sam and the four ghosts helping her.

"You're on our side now?" Danielle realised in surprise.

"Yep. Don't get used to it though. We just know we have to work together to escape," Kitty confirmed.

Danielle fired a ghost ray at Klarion. Klarion cackled at the attempt as he side-stepped it.

"Nice try," Klarion taunted before he stomped on the ground and sent a surge of electricity towards the group of ghosts and teens. They lunged out of the way.

"Nrut eht dnuorg ot rebbur!" Zatanna shouted as she and Jake rounded the corner. The concrete floor stopped conducting the electricity as it changed to rubber. From the opposite direction M'gann charged at Klarion only to face a towering wall of flames. The Martian screamed in fear and fell to the ground in a heap. Fu dog, panting from running, staggered on to the scene from behind Jake.

"I got your back kid," he huffed. Jake glanced at the dog before swallowing worriedly.

Klarion cackled happily as he locked a number of once again occupied cages. Robin, Danielle and Conner had taken over trying to subdue Danny. Danielle fighting with her ghost powers, Robin using his incredible agility to out-manoeuvre the halfa and an ecto-pistol Maddie Fenton had given him. Meanwhile Conner used his strength to try and tackle the halfa while he was distracted in order to give Danielle the time to use the Fenton thermos. Wally and Sam ran to M'gann's side while Zatanna muttered spells and faced Klarion.

"Fu… I have to help," Jake muttered with determination, turning to his magical companion. Fu dog sighed and nodded.

"I know kid. Do what you have to," Fu dog agreed.

"Dragon up!" Jake bellowed as he ran forward. He erupted in flames and moments later the short teen was replaced by a powerful red scaled dragon. Jake's powerful wings flapped and the dragon took to the air. He sucked in a breath and blew a fireball at Klarion. The Witch Boy gasped in surprise and wasn't able to dodge the fire. Danny didn't even falter in his aggressive onslaught on the ghosts and Danielle, Conner and Robin, forcing them to focus on him. But the others gaped at the dragon in front of them and the crackling flames hiding Klarion from view.

" _Why didn't you tell us you had that amulet the whole time_!?" Wally exclaimed over the mind link.

"Wait, there's nothing around his neck," M'gann realised. Sam bit her lip and glanced at Jake. The dragon and Zatanna hadn't moved their attention away from Klarion.

The flames died down to reveal Klarion grinning excitedly at Jake, his clothes slightly charred but he was uninjured.

"I haven't faced a dragon in centuries! Which one are you? No wait! Let me guess… the Canadian dragon?" Klarion remarked loudly.

"I'm the American dragon. Magicians might not be my jurisdiction but ghosts can be and you're threatening them," Jake growled angrily.

"He's actually a lord of chaos. More powerful than magicians," Zatanna corrected the dragon.

"Whatever, doesn't change that he's threatening ghosts in particular a personal friend," Jake retorted sharply, glaring at Klarion. Klarion gasped in mocking horror.

"I'm not threatening ghosts! I'm just keeping them in cages. As for Phantom, he's my new pet, why would I want to hurt him?" Klarion informed the room, his horrified tone of voice betrayed by his cruel grin.

"He's not a pet! He's a person!" Sam shouted furiously. Klarion shrugged uncaringly.

Jake charged forwards, his claws ready to grab at the Witch Boy and his lungs ready to breathe another wave of fire over the lord of chaos. Klarion chuckled and red swirling energy poured into his hand and blasted the dragon away before he magically locked more cages. Jake slammed into the cages, causing them to topple over on top of him.

"Jake!" Fu dog shouted in worry and ran to the downed dragon.

" _Kaldur. We're gonna need back up_!" Robin exclaimed through the mind link, seeing Jake's defeat before he got blasted by Danny.

Danielle charged at her brother and her eyes changed to a bright blue as she channelled ice into her hands.

"You'll thank me later," Danielle muttered as she fired. Danny twisted out of the way of the blast before returning the blast with ice energy of his own. Danielle yelped in pain as frost covered most of her body. Before she could free herself, Danny phased a hand into the ice and unclipped the thermos on her belt and reduced the device to ash in a concentrated ghost ray. Danielle gasped fearfully before screaming in alarm as Danny blasted her, still encased in ice, into a cage which slammed shut moments later.

Danny dove down at the recovering Robin and threw him into a cage which also locked itself magically. Conner lunged at the halfa as M'gann and Sam joined the clone's fight. Sam primed her stolen rifle and aimed.

"Sorry Danny," she whispered as she fired a round into his shoulder. Danny roared in pain and outrage as the shot wounded him. But other than weakening that arm, the shot did nothing to stop the halfa. Most of the ghosts had been recaptured by now. Kitty, more or less powerless against Klarion as her male-banishment powers didn't work, had been blasted into a cage when she was attacking Klarion. Johnny charged at Danny but the halfa merely threw the biker ghost into a cage next to Kitty.

Skulker fired his missiles at Klarion and Ember, without her guitar, let her fiery hair blaze out of control hoping to burn the lord of chaos.

"Out of interest, how rare are lords of chaos?" Skulker asked, glancing at Zatanna. The magician paused in her chanting to glance at the ghost.

"Very rare. And they can't be killed. They exist on another plane of existence. Klarion is bound to this plane of existence through a cat called Teekl but I don't see it around," Zatanna answered. Skulker grinned.

"A fitting addition to my collection then. I call his pelt!" Skulker decided. Ember scowled at her boyfriend before screaming in surprise and pain as she was blasted in the back into a cage.

Suddenly Wally managed to get a good hit in on Klarion sending the teen sprawling on the ground. A crystal ball filled with swirling black energy rolled out of the lord of chaos's pocket.

"No!" Klarion cried out angrily. Wally grabbed the crystal ball and raised an eyebrow.

"This looks important. Let's play keep-away. Supes!" Wally remarked and tossed the crystal ball to Conner. Conner turned away from Danny and caught the crystal ball. Sam lined up another shot with her stolen rifle, this time at the other shoulder. Through the scope she spotted Danny's eyes flash black and he turned his attention to Conner. Sam gasped.

"Superboy! Look out!" Sam screamed as Danny dove at the clone. Conner turned and gasped, throwing the crystal ball to M'gann. Danny spun around, missing Conner completely and charged at M'gann instead.

"He's protecting the crystal ball!" Robin realised from his cage. Klarion sniggered as he stood up, dusting off his charred suit.

"That's right. Good Phantom! Get the ball!" Klarion confirmed, cheering Danny on condescendingly.

"Can't we use it to remove the orders?" M'gann reasoned before she gasped and threw the ball to Sam, who dropped the rifle to catch the crystal ball.

"No. You need to be written into the ritual dummies," Klarion revealed smugly.

"And you and Cheshire are?" Zatanna mentioned.

"I am. Cheshire felt left out so I told Phantom to listen to her too," Klarion admitted uncaringly. Sam threw the crystal ball to Conner again as Danny drew closer to her. Zatanna glanced at Fu dog. The canine was trying to free Jake, who appeared to be unconscious.

" _Fu dog. If this is a variation on vessel magic, should we destroy the vessel_?" Zatanna ventured over the mind link.

Wally ran to Conner before Danny could reach the clone and grabbed the ball, running away with his super-speed. Fu dog looked away from the cages trapping the dragon and watched the fight as the others engaged Klarion again while Wally was chased by Danny.

" _Maybe. At this point it could be either really good or really bad. If it lifts the spell, then obviously it's good. But it could break all restraints on Danny and send him on a rampage, or he might be bound to those orders with no way of stopping him_ ," Fu dog replied thoughtfully.

" _It's worth the risk right_?" M'gann retorted as she backed away from a blaze of fire Klarion conjured.

" _No! That isn't an option. We have to find another way_ ," Sam growled firmly.

Klarion laughed as he fought the group. He blasted the remaining ghosts into the cages, including Skulker, and magically shut them. Now it was only M'gann, Conner, Wally, Sam, Zatanna and Fu dog against Klarion and a controlled Danny. Unexpectedly, Klarion formed a portal in front of himself and Teekl emerged. The cat was no longer the size of a domestic cat though. It had grown to the size of an elephant with razor sharp teeth and claws. The cat pounced at Conner and Klarion blasted M'gann into a cage, taking full advantage of the element of surprise. The cage slammed shut. Sam ran to Fu dog's side and attempted to help dig out Jake but the cages were heavy.

Danny sped after Wally as the speedster sprinted at super speed around the large room. His eyes flashed black as his need to fulfil his orders intensified. His hand began to glow blue and he fired a stream of ice energy at the ground. Wally cried out in alarm as he lost his footing and slipped. He was heading straight for a wall. Danny rushed forward and grabbed the speedster before he crashed, flying them back towards Klarion.

"Thanks Danny. I thought I was a goner. You broke the spell right? Or you're resisting yeah?" Wally called up to Danny with relief. Danny came to a stop above the fighting and wrestled the crystal ball away from Wally.

"No!" Wally exclaimed fearfully, realising that he'd lost. Danny dropped the speedster and flew to Klarion, holding out the crystal ball to the Witch Boy. Klarion grinned, blasting Zatanna before taking the ball. Klarion patted Danny's head absently.

"Good Phantom. Now, get them into cages," Klarion praised happily. Danny's eyes pulsed black and the halfa immediately flew at Wally. The speedster was clutching his ankle in pain having landed on his foot. Danny easily grabbed the teen and threw him into a cage which Klarion locked magically. Danny then raced over to help Teekl subdue Conner.

Within minutes, Danny had thrown Conner into a cage and tackled Zatanna and thrown her into a cage as well. Klarion calmly walked over to Sam and Fu dog as they desperately rolled another cage off Jake.

"You lose by the way," Klarion called before sending out a wave of black energy that wrapped around the Goth and talking dog.

 **Yes, Klarion and Danny were outnumbered, but the Walker prison ghosts weren't willing to help unless they knew they'd get away and they didn't want to hurt Danny. And from what I've seen, Klarion is near invincible.**

 **But remember, Kaldur, Artemis and Rocket are outside with the Bioship. All hope is not lost.**

 **Let me know what you guys think**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	35. Chapter 35

Danny blinked as he felt the haze of being controlled fade away. As his free will returned, he gasped in horror. He was standing in front of Sam who was in a cage, staring at him with purple eyes filled with unshed tears. Then he groaned softly in pain and put a hand to his shoulder. He had a massive wound in his shoulder that was still bleeding. Although, it was already starting to heal. Danny knew who shot him. He glanced at Sam and gave her the most apologetic and understanding look he could muster.

"Come here Phantom. Now," Klarion called impatiently. Danny obediently walked over to Klarion. Teekl had shrunken back to a domestic cat and was casually sitting beside the Witch Boy.

Danny stopped in front of Klarion. The Witch Boy scanned the room, lingering on each captured rescuer for a second.

"Your little plan didn't work," Klarion remarked, his voice serious and angry. Danny didn't reply. He knew it didn't work. But if that alarm outside the room hadn't gone off then it would have, as long as someone convinced Sam to leave him behind.

"Tell me what you planned. Exactly and don't miss anything out," Klarion ordered.

"I told you. Lead them here so they could rescue the ghosts and then resist your orders long enough so they could escape," Danny replied, his own voice tight with anger. Klarion's anger only grew.

"Don't lie. In fact, I forbid you from ever lying to me again," Klarion snarled and Danny's eyes pulsed black.

"What was the plan?" Klarion repeated himself.

"That was my plan," Danny retorted sharply.

"Then what was their plan?" Klarion pressed angrily, gesturing to the trapped Robin. Danny shrugged.

"No idea. I didn't want to know. That way I wouldn't be able to tell you anything," Danny answered. Klarion scowled. He knew Danny wasn't lying. Now he had to figure out a punishment. He could just beat the halfa up but a broken weapon was useless. So he had to do something to hurt Danny that wouldn't actually stop the halfa being useful. Klarion's angry scowl melted into a cruel grin.

"Alright. But I do have to punish you. Because of you we almost lost a lot of power sources," Klarion began.

"Hurting me is pointless," Danny spat.

"I know. So I'm going to break you. First, you will always refer to me as master and show me respect," Klarion commanded. Danny's eyes pulsed black and the halfa glowered furiously at the Witch Boy.

"Next, your girlfriend. Bring her to me," Klarion ordered. Danny's furious glare faltered as fear bled through. He suspected what Klarion was planning. He hesitated. His order didn't force him to obey instantly so he could hold off.

"Don't hurt her. Please, I'll stop resisting," Danny muttered pleadingly.

"That's not the point. This is a punishment. Now do as I say!" Klarion replied and folded his arms. Danny pursed his lips and slowly walked over to Sam's cage. He didn't want to do this. But he was in his ghost form still and had to obey.

Sam backed away from the cage door, watching as Danny approached her, his face showing his fear and reluctance despite the surety of his walk. The door swung open with a flick of Klarion's fingers. Danny reached into the cage and grabbed Sam's arm.

"I'm sorry. I can't stop myself. I'm so sorry," Danny whispered under his breath as he walked Sam back to Klarion. The Goth struggled desperately as the others around the room shouted their outrage and fear. The couple stopped in front of Klarion. Klarion smiled and leant close to Sam's face. He traced a finger along her jaw line causing her to shudder in fear and Danny to tense. He loosened his grip on Sam's arm, hoping the Goth would break free and run for it.

"She is pretty Phantom. It's a shame that won't last. Freeze her feet to the ground. Now," Klarion commented and took a step back. Danny's body obeyed before he could even attempt to stop himself. Sam gasped as the cold encased her combat boots. She was shaking with fear but she refused to cry in front of this person. And she refused to make this harder on Danny than it already was. Klarion glanced at the spectators.

"My control over Phantom is absolute. If any of you upset me or tries to escape then this will happen to you," Klarion announced before turning back to Danny.

"Stand here," he ordered and Danny obediently stood where Klarion had been standing, the Witch Boy stepping to one side for him.

"Face her and point one of your palms at her," Klarion instructed. Danny's arm slowly rose to aim his palm at Sam's chest. Sam could see that Danny was trying his hardest to stop himself.

"Shoot her," Klarion ordered. Danny's eyes flashed black and his hand began to glow green with ghost energy. Tears welled in his neon green eyes, he didn't want to obey. But he couldn't stop his body from obeying the spell. He was going to hurt Sam and he couldn't stop it. He grabbed his wrist and tried desperately to move his arm away from Sam but he wasn't strong enough. It was like pushing a wall. While Walker's prisoners didn't care about the fate of a human girl, the others were shouting at Klarion to stop what was happening, that he made his point. Danny tore his gaze away from his girlfriend's face and glanced at Klarion. As he struggled against his own body, he quick ran through the orders he'd been given. Suddenly he realised something.

"Shoot her now Phantom!" Klarion shouted angrily. Danny shouted as he forced himself to change into his human form and shoved his arm as he fired.

Sam yelled in pain as Danny collapsed to his knees, panting with exertion. Sam clutched her burnt arm and turned to her boyfriend on the floor. Her wide eyes held only concern for him. Klarion glowered at the halfa.

"You disobeyed me," Klarion growled angrily.

"No. Y-you only ordered me to sh-shoot Sam. N-not where, m- _master_ ," Danny gasped, spitting out the word master with venom. Klarion blinked before nodding slightly.

"Put her back in her cage," Klarion ordered. Danny staggered to his feet and glared at Klarion before stumbling over to Sam and turning her intangible to release her from the ice. He placed a gentle hand over her burn as he guided her back to the cage he took her from and channelled his ice powers over the injury.

"I'm so sorry Sam. I couldn't stop myself," Danny whispered in her ear.

"I understand. Thank you for fighting it," Sam muttered as he gently helped her into the cage. The door swung shut and locked itself.

"Open the door for me Phantom," Klarion called impatiently. Danny turned to him slowly and glanced at the glowing green door.

"You told me that door is lined with ectoranium m-master," Danny reminded the Witch Boy nervously.

"Yes. Open it," Klarion agreed, giving Danny a hard look. Danny gulped before obediently crossing the door and tentatively hovered his hand over the handle.

"I don't have all day Phantom," Klarion grumbled. Danny sucked in a sharp breath and pushed down the handle. He gritted his teeth, refusing to scream in pain, as the anti-ghost element shocked him. He knew he would be in a lot more pain if he were in ghost form. It was a small mercy that Klarion hadn't ordered him back into his ghost form. He pushed the door open and dropped his hand, flexing his tingling fingers stiffly.

"Good Phantom. Now I want you to carry the dragon to your room," Klarion commanded calmly. Danny blinked and turned around to see Jake in his dragon form, unconscious and half-buried in ghost-proof cages. Danny glanced at Klarion before going to Jake and used his ghostly strength to uncover the large red dragon and heaved the scaled arm around his shoulders, carrying his friend back towards Klarion.

Once the door shut, the members of Young Justice, Danielle and Fu dog turned to Sam.

"Are you alright Sam!?" Danielle called worriedly.

"Yeah. I'll be fine. But how do we get out of here now?" Sam replied, wincing as she moved her stinging burn.

" _I think we should resume using the mind link from now on. There could be cameras or microphones in here_ ," Robin commented over the mind link.

" _Good idea. Kaldur, we've all been captured_ ," Wally agreed.

" _What about Danny? I heard that he was under Klarion's control_ ," the leader inquired.

" _Sort of. He can't disobey Klarion outright. Or Cheshire apparently. But he can manipulate their orders to a degree_ ," Zatanna answered.

" _Sit tight then. We'll think of something and rescue you. Who's been captured_?" Artemis recommended.

" _Sam, Zatanna, Fu dog, Wally, Conner, M'gann, Danielle and myself. Jake was as well but he's knocked out and Klarion ordered Danny to take him_ ," Robin listed.

" _Alright. We'll call Fenton Works and get back up_ ," Rocket replied.

" _Let them know that Danny could be getting worse with his elevated energy. He was in pain for a split second in his chest_ ," Danielle interjected.

"What!?" Sam exclaimed in alarm.

"He said he felt fine. And it wasn't the first time either," Conner added with a shrug.

" _Noted. We'll inform them. M'gann, will you be able to reopen telepathic contact with us if we leave and then return_?" Kaldur replied.

" _No. You'll leave my telepathic range and it's dangerous to leave my mind open to find you. Someone might sense me or a telepath could be here and force their way into our mental link. And you remember what happened last time_ ," M'gann answered.

" _I'll stay put then. I can get up high and watch the base for activity. You can stay connected to me and I'll let you know when back up gets here so you can involve them_ ," Artemis decided.

" _Alright. We'll be as fast as possible_ ," Kaldur concluded before he and Rocket moved out of M'gann's range.

" _Is Jake still connected_?" Fu dog wondered.

" _Yes, but his mind is silent. Until he wakes up we won't be able to talk to him_ ," M'gann confirmed.

" _Speaking of Jake. What was all that stuff about the American dragon and protecting ghosts_?" Conner inquired.

" _Er… I better let Jake answer that question_ ," Fu dog muttered nervously.

 **Oops, looks like Jake's secret is out.**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	36. Chapter 36

It was official. Danny hated Klarion. The sadistic teenager was worse than Vlad in his opinion now. Worse than Freakshow. At least when Freakshow controlled him, Danny had no idea what he was doing. Klarion left Danny with his mind clear, and yet, unable to stop himself obeying. He forced the halfa to hurt Sam just to hurt her. Not to stop her interfering with his goals. But to punish Danny. Danny paced in his cell, now occupied by Jake too. Danny had orders to guard Jake. That was another reason to hate Klarion.

Jake's eyes fluttered open and he groaned softly as a splitting headache made itself known. He was on something soft and there was someone else in the room, muttering angrily. As the haze of unconsciousness lifted, Jake realised where he was. He was laying on the bed in Danny's cell while Danny in human form paced furiously across the room, his eyes burning green. Jake sat up and a wave of weakness overcame him. He gasped softly as he realised he was wearing a braided bracelet of sphinx's hair. A dragon's ultimate weakness. Jake immediately tried to get it off. He yanked at the threads but they wouldn't snap. Jake growled loudly in frustration, finally attracting Danny's attention.

"Master enchanted it. You won't be able to break it. He also ordered me not to touch it," Danny informed the shorter teen. Jake looked up at Danny.

"What happened back there? All I remember is facing Klarion and then being blasted backwards," Jake asked. Danny sighed.

"You got blasted into the cages and they fell on top of you. Knocked you out. No one escaped. Then when I finally came to my senses, Kl-master ordered me to… to hurt Sam. I-I managed to move the shot so it wouldn't kill her but… she still got hurt pretty bad. Then he ordered me to bring you here," Danny recounted sadly. Jake gasped worriedly.

"How was Sam hurt?" Jake ventured.

"Really bad burn on her arm," Danny confessed ashamedly. Jake gave Danny the most empathetic look he could.

"It wasn't your fault," Jake whispered. Danny shook his head.

"I know. But I still regret it. And I'm angry," Danny retorted passionately.

"Who's master?" Jake wondered, deciding to change the subject. Danny's eyes pulsed bright green with rage. Jake gulped nervously, realising that he asked the wrong question.

"I have to show respect to master. He ordered me to always call him that. It's disobeying orders if I say his name," Danny explained angrily. Jake frowned worriedly.

"Is er master, Klarion?" Jake ventured. Danny sighed and nodded. Jake nodded in understanding.

"What other orders do you have?" Jake inquired.

"I'm not allowed to tell you all of them. I have to obey Cheshire. I have to guard you. The door's locked now and I'm not allowed to touch it. Most of my orders don't matter anymore. Some were to do with that trap. But others… I'm not allowed to tell you what they even involve," Danny answered with a despairing huff. Jake bit his lip as Danny started pacing again.

"It's so annoying! If I didn't have those stupid orders, I could tell you everything I've learnt about the spell. But I can't! I can't fight the spell," Danny growled.

"What can you tell me?" Jake asked.

"I know the spell's stronger in my ghost form. I can't even resist when I'm Phantom. My body automatically obeys before I even realise it. I can't disobey a direct order. I can, to a certain degree, twist the words used to my advantage. Like if Cheshire or K-master don't say now, I can hold off for a short time. But I have to obey. If I try to resist, it hurts me. Literally. And if I can hold off long enough, I eventually will pass out," Danny recalled. Jake frowned in sympathy. He could see exactly why Danny was so upset.

" _Jake? Can you hear me_?" M'gann's voice suddenly asked over the mind link. Jake blinked in surprise.

" _Yeah. Are you guys alright_?" Jake replied.

" _We're fine. Where are you_?" Robin answered.

" _I'm with Danny in his cell. Apparently he's been ordered to guard me_ ," Jake informed them.

" _How is he_?" Sam inquired worriedly.

" _He's pretty angry but he's fine. He told me how Klarion ordered him to hurt you. Are you alright_?" Jake told them.

" _I'm fine. It's just a burn_ ," Sam retorted dismissively.

" _Ask if Danny wants to be involved_ ," Danielle requested. Jake turned to the pacing halfa.

"Danny, I'm still connected to the others over the mind link. Do you want to be involved?" Jake announced carefully. Danny stopped pacing and turned to the seated teen.

"No. I don't think it's a good idea. We don't know if the spell will carry to you guys. You might become bound to my orders and I don't want that. Also the less I know the better. I can't disobey master if he asks me anything directly. I'm not even allowed to lie to him," Danny decided. Jake nodded in understanding.

" _He said no. He's worried about the spell influencing the rest of us and he wants to be out of the loop as much as possible in case Klarion asks him anything_ ," Jake relayed.

" _Has he told you anything we could use_?" Zatanna asked hopefully. Jake sighed softly.

" _Not really. He can't disobey a direct order, he can twist the wording of an order to his advantage to a degree. If he resists an order, it hurts him and it might eventually cause him to pass out. He has to call Klarion master now too. And he can't lie_ ," Jake recounted.

" _We worked most of that out and we heard Klarion's orders. You were knocked out_ ," Conner remarked.

" _What wording was used for the orders that he can't tell us_?" Robin inquired unexpectedly. Jake blinked and turned to Danny who had returned to his angry pacing. Clearly the halfa was frustrated.

"Danny, what was the wording of those orders Klarion forbade you from telling us?" Jake ventured. Danny groaned loudly and stopped in front of Jake.

"I can't tell you Jake. I cannot repeat those orders," Danny retorted with frustration. Jake nodded.

" _He's not allowed to repeat the orders, at all_ ," Jake reported over the mind link.

" _What about writing it down_?" Robin suggested hopefully. Jake gasped in understanding. He looked at Danny who had hesitated to resume pacing, hearing Jake's gasp.

"Can you write those orders down? Technically, you're not telling us the orders. You won't have to repeat what they told you," Jake wondered. Danny blinked before he grinned broadly.

"I can try," he agreed excitedly.

Danny grabbed a random book off the dresser and scrambled through each drawer in search of a pen or pencil. Jake went to the bedside cabinet to search there.

" _Well_?" Danielle prompted hopefully.

" _He's going to try. Give us a minute_ ," Jake informed the others. Their search for something to write with was fruitless. Danny growled in annoyance but he wasn't going to give up. If he could tell the others everything he knew, he was going to do it, no matter what. He ran into the adjoining bathroom and found a spare toothbrush. He grinned as an idea came to him. He could write with ash. He grabbed the plastic cup on the side and ran back to the bedroom, ripping out a handful of pages and stuffing them into the cup. He charged his hand with ghost energy and burned the pages into ash, leaving the plastic cup untouched. He ran back to the bathroom and poured a trickle of water into the cup and mixed it together with the end of the toothbrush.

With a writing implement ready, he rushed back to the dresser and grabbed a book and poised the ash covered toothbrush over the paper. He sucked in a nervous breath before he scrawled down an order Klarion and Cheshire forbade him from repeating. He cried out happily in triumph and gave the book to Jake excitedly. Jake grinned at the halfa. He could see the hope and rebellious fire reignite in Danny before his eyes. He turned to the book.

" _He can do it. First order he's written for us is that he's been ordered to protect that crystal ball Klarion carries with his life_ ," Jake relayed over the mind link.

" _That explains why he was so fixated on the crystal ball when I got it away from Klarion_ ," Wally commented. Danny took back the book and scrawled more orders on the page, ignoring the text already present.

Jake took back the book and his eyes widened at the orders Danny had written.

" _If he gets the crystal ball, he has to give it back to Klarion immediately. He also has new orders to raise the alarm if he sees any of us free. He's not allowed to touch the cages you guys are locked in. If someone says the phrase Teekl is the cutest pussy-cat ever, Danny's not allowed to hurt them_ ," Jake read over the mind link.

" _We can use that! We can say that so Danny doesn't have to hurt us_ ," Sam exclaimed happily.

" _We also know now that Danny has to protect the crystal ball. That means it's important. Zatanna, Fu dog… could that mean that if the crystal ball breaks, then the spell will too_?" Robin pointed out.

" _It could. Kid, does Danny know anything about the crystal ball_?" Fu dog asked.

Jake looked up for the book Danny had written in. The dragon handed the defaced book to the halfa.

"Do you know anything else about the crystal ball?" Jake relayed. Danny sighed and shook his head.

"I've only seen it a handful of times. Master has it with him at all times as far as I've seen. And most of the time, he doesn't pull it out until he has me under his control, completely I mean. Why?" Danny admitted.

"We're wondering if breaking the crystal ball will lift the spell," Jake answered. Danny's eyes flashed black.

"You can't do that!" he blurted out before he could stop himself. Danny blinked before growling loudly in frustration.

"Stupid spell!" Danny snarled hatefully, gripping his hair tightly.

"Danny, it's okay. I shouldn't have said that in front of you. I'm sorry," Jake instantly apologised, recalling the order he read only minutes ago. Danny waved dismissively at Jake. He wasn't upset or angry at the other teen. He was just sick of being a prisoner.

" _Danny doesn't know anything else_ ," Jake reported to the others.

" _I could try to overshadow Klarion and get him to order Danny to forget all orders. Then we could break the crystal ball_ ," Danielle offered.

" _Bad idea. Klarion's a lord of chaos. That much magic and evil might hurt you if you try to overshadow him_ ," Zatanna interjected.

" _So what's the plan? We can't just let the Light control Danny_!" Sam exclaimed angrily.

" _I don't know but at least we can pass that information to Kaldur and the rest of the back up. Right Artemis_?" Robin replied.

" _Yep, I got everything you've said and I'll pass it on_ ," Artemis confirmed.

 **So they've finally figured out a way around Danny's orders!**

 **They're also trying to think of a new plan.**

 **Any ideas who the back-up will be?**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	37. Chapter 37

The Bioship silently landed among the trees. Artemis turned her vigilant gaze away from the building her friends were trapped in as she heard the slightest rustle of leaves and felt a breeze that didn't belong. As an archer she needed to know the wind speed and direction. She gracefully dropped down to the ground below the tree she had settled in.

"Artemis, are you near?" Kaldur's voice called out softly.

"I'm here Kaldur," Artemis confirmed and followed the voice. She blinked in surprise. Standing before the camouflaged Bioship was a group of people other than Kaldur and Rocket. Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable smiled at the blonde archer. Rose, Jake's girlfriend was also present beside Spud. Maddie and Jazz Fenton came as well Tucker and a teenaged girl in a red and black suit.

"Jack and Jimmy are working on a cure but we need more tests to know how the energy is affecting Danny," Maddie explained, noticing that the archer was surprised not to see more Fentons.

"Have you heard anything from Jake?" Kaldur inquired. Artemis nodded.

"He's with Danny. But the thing is, Danny's been ordered to guard Jake and to raise the alarm if he sees any of us," Artemis explained.

"Anything else?" Kaldur prompted worriedly.

"Klarion has a crystal ball. Danny has orders to protect it with his life and if he gets it, to take it to Klarion immediately. Oh! Also, if someone says Teekl is the cutest pussy-cat ever, Danny isn't allowed to hurt them," Artemis recalled.

"Makes sense, giving Danny a command in case he attacks the Light, even by accident," Rose muttered. The others nodded slowly in agreement.

Kaldur scanned his new teammates. He knew a little about their fighting capabilities but he felt it was a good idea for everyone to hear each other's abilities.

"I think we should share what our powers or abilities are with each other. You can call me Kaldur. I have Atlantean magic and can form weapons constructed from water," Kaldur began.

"Artemis, I'm an archer. I know how to fight hand to hand too, but I'm more a ranged fighter," Artemis resumed, following her leader's example.

"I can use kinetic energy. I can form shields and throw blasts of energy," Rocket added, putting a hand up slightly to draw everyone's attention.

"Kim Possible. I am a martial arts expert and as you all probably know, I used to save the world on a weekly basis. I retired for college but I'm here to help Danny any way I can. Might be a bit rusty though," Kim introduced herself.

"Ron Stoppable. Side kick. I can run fast and I'm great at being the distraction. I also have mystical monkey powers. Rufus here is pretty good with machines," Ron explained, pulling his pet naked mole rat out of his pocket.

"And we have Wade on standby," Kim interjected, lifting her high-tech watch into view. The screen flickered on and showed a young teen behind a computer screen who waved.

"Spud, I'm a secret child genius. Jake's my bro," Spud announced calmly before turning to Rose. Rose sighed and crossed her arms.

"My skill set is a little more complicated to explain. I was trained from birth by a group called the Huntsclan. I was one of the best. But there were these Aztec skulls. If you gathered them all together you could make a wish that would happen, no matter how big. I wanted to leave the Huntsclan, for reasons I can't tell you. I wished that the Huntsclan were all destroyed and someone else wished that the Huntsclan never took me. I lost all my memories until I met Jake last summer. He jogged my memory and all that training came back to me. I'm a Huntsclan weapon expert and I can fight, really well. I'm also well versed on magical creature weaknesses," Rose explained carefully. The Young Justice members present shared a glance, suddenly realising why Robin and Batman never found any evidence of Rose being trained.

"Jazz Fenton. I'll be honest, I'm pretty new to the ghost hunting stuff and I haven't got great aim. Actually, I'm always catching Danny by accident. But I know psychology. If that helps, then I'm here," Jazz introduced herself with a shrug.

"Tucker Foley. Techno-geek and current mayor of Amity Park. I have experience fighting with Danny and Sam in ghost fights. I'm not as good as Sam, but I'm better than most," Tucker admitted.

"Maddie Fenton. Danny's mom. I'm a ninth degree black belt and I've worked most of my adult life with ghost weaponry and ectoplasm," Maddie informed them all, despite being the only adult, she did accept that Kaldur was the leader.

"I'm um… the Red Huntress, but I guess you guys can call me Val. I have a couple of year's ghost hunting. I'm also a ninth degree black belt. I have spent most of my ghost hunting career gunning for Danny. I have the most experience fighting him, although, he's always held back," Valerie Gray concluded anxiously. Since learning Danny's secret, Valerie knew she had done terrible things to him and felt exceptionally guilty for her actions now. This was an opportunity to make amends for some of those wrongs.

Kaldur nodded at his new teammates and turned to Artemis.

"Are you still connected to Miss Martian?" he asked. Artemis smiled and nodded.

"I'll ask her to link you guys up," Artemis replied and waited for Kaldur to nod.

" _Back up's here. M'gann link them up_ ," Artemis announced.

" _Who came_?" Danielle wondered seconds before Rose, Spud, Maddie, Tucker and Valerie flinched from the telepathic connection.

" _Ah, that's so weird_ ," Valerie groaned mentally.

" _You get used to it. Quick warning all thoughts are transmitted over the mind link_ ," Kim commented, having been part of a mind link before.

" _Kim! Valerie! You guys are here_!?" Sam exclaimed in surprise.

" _Thanks Manson. Blow my secret identity why don't you_ ," Valerie grumbled.

" _Are you all alright_?" Tucker interjected worriedly.

" _Yeah. We're fine. Thanks for coming Tuck_ ," Sam confirmed.

" _Well, Sam's hurt actually_ ," Zatanna corrected carefully.

" _How_!?" Maddie demanded worriedly.

" _It wasn't his fault. Danny blasted me and I got hit. It's nothing. It's just a burn_ ," Sam explained reluctantly.

" _Not what Danny said. He seemed to think it was pretty serious_ ," Jake recalled.

" _Jake! Are you okay_?" Rose inquired.

" _Fine. But er… Klarion put this bracelet on me that Danny isn't allowed to touch it and I can't get it off. Until it's off, I can't really help_ ," Jake admitted.

" _Alright. Let's clear the mind link. What do we know? And I want everything_ ," Kaldur declared firmly.

" _Sorry Kaldur_ ," a few voices chorused sheepishly.

" _Okay. Danny is being controlled by a spell. The spell involves a crystal ball and we think it's a variation of blood magic and vessel magic. Danny can't disobey a direct order but he can resist for a time. Klarion and Cheshire can give him orders_ ," Robin reported.

" _Danny has to call Klarion master and he can't lie to Klarion. He's also been ordered to protect the crystal ball with his life and if he gets the crystal ball, he has to give it Klarion, immediately_ ," Jake added.

" _Resisting orders hurts Danny. And he can't resist if he's in his ghost form_ ," Sam informed the others.

" _Dunno if you guys know this but he's been told to raise the alarm if he sees us and if you say Teekl is the cutest pussy-cat ever, he isn't allowed to hurt you_ ," Danielle resumed.

" _Wait, can we find out who's involved with that order? It might just be you guys that he has to raise the alarm for_ ," Kim interjected.

" _Hang on. I'll ask_ ," Jake muttered.

"Ask?" Valerie repeated in confusion.

"Jake's in the same room as Danny. But the door's locked, Danny's not allowed to touch the door or leave the room without Klarion or Cheshire. He's actually not allowed to say some of the orders we've told you but Robin figured out that Danny could write them down," Artemis explained.

"Why isn't he in the mind link?" Jazz wondered.

"He's worried that if he is, the rest of us in the mind link might become bound to the spell or his orders. He also wants to be kept out of the loop so that if Klarion asks him anything, he won't be able to betray us," Artemis answered.

" _He's not sure. He could be able to stretch the order to only mean the guys in cages and me but he said it might not be just us_ ," Jake reported.

" _Exact wording_?" Robin prompted.

" _His friends_ ," Jake instantly supplied.

" _Then who doesn't he consider a friend_?" Rocket suggested.

" _He's never really met me. I probably wouldn't count_ ," Rose pointed out.

" _He might not consider family friends too_ ," Jazz commented thoughtfully.

" _He doesn't really know me either_ ," Rocket added. Kaldur nodded.

" _Robin, can you send us a map of the complex with your and Danny's locations marked_?" Kaldur requested.

" _Hang on. Tucker, you open for a wireless transfer_?" Robin replied.

" _Yeah_ ," Tucker confirmed and pulled out his PDA.

" _I am too,_ " Spud interjected.

" _I can get Wade to open a wireless transfer too_ ," Kim added. Kim pulled her wrist to her face and tapped a button, turning the screen on.

"Wade, can you open a wireless transfer for Robin to send you a map of the building?" Kim asked.

"Sure can. I've been itching to use this computer for more than working on my hologram project," Wade agreed eagerly.

" _Sending. Password to decode it is Nightwing_ ," Robin announced.

" _Nightwing_?" Wally repeated.

" _I'm… thinking of going solo. Toying around with new names_ ," Robin confessed nervously.

" _Like Red Arrow_?" Conner clarified.

" _Good for you Rob. Have you told Batman yet_?" Wally replied, clearly Robin nodded.

" _Not yet. I dunno how he's gonna take it. We both always assumed I'd one day take over from him but I don't want that anymore_ ," Robin muttered.

" _Can we keep the mind link clear please? We can discuss this later. But Robin, I'm sure Batman will accept your decision if it makes you happy_ ," Kaldur interrupted.

"Got it," Tucker announced.

"It took you that long?" Spud remarked, glancing up from the laptop he pulled out of his backpack.

"Yeah… why, how long did it take you?" Tucker replied carefully.

"I got on a minute before you," Spud admitted.

"Then I beat both of you. I got it and I've sent a copy of the map to the website. It's IP sensitive so only people in your location can open it. I can password protect it too. Done! Same password, Nightwing," Wade bragged.

"He wasn't part of the mind link," Rose pointed out in confusion.

"Boy genius Rose. He probably hacked in, or followed Tucker and Spud's progress," Kim retorted calmly. Kaldur raised a surprise eyebrow.

"Did you hack in?" he inquired worriedly. If a teenager could hack into Robin's tech, that meant the Bat Cave, Mount Justice and maybe even the Watchtower were compromised.

"No I hacked Spud. He was faster than Tucker and no one told me the password," Wade confessed.

"My tech isn't outdated!" Tucker growled defensively.

"No one's saying that," Spud soothed casually.

" _But we're all thinking it_ ," Valerie mumbled to herself.

" _I heard that_!" Tucker snapped. Valerie flinched, having forgotten the mind link.

 **So the new rescue team to save Danny and the first rescue team. But at least this team has info about what's going on, unlike the first team.**

 **Any theories on what might happen in rescue attempt 2?**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Happy Easter everyone! Sorry for the late update.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	38. Chapter 38

Rose and Rocket led team 1. Both had more experience in stealth. Fentons weren't known for being subtle. They ran to the building, taking advantage of the elongating shadows of the evening. Rocket then used a kinetic energy bubble to lift Maddie and Jazz to the roof. Team 1 were to find and rescue Danny and Jake, if possible. If not, then Jazz had a Fenton thermos. Using the vents, much like team beta earlier that day, they infiltrated the building. Rose used her phone, which had a map downloaded on to it, to navigate the dusty and cramped the passages. She came to a stop.

"Danny and Jake should be close. Let me check if it's safe and we'll take to the corridors from here," Rose whispered over her shoulder, looking at the hero directly behind her, waiting for Rocket to nod her agreement.

Rose peered through the metal grate before carefully moving the grate away and gracefully dropped to the ground. She scanned the room with her piercing blue eyes before nodding to herself. They were in a sparse bedroom that seemed unused.

"Clear," she called softly. Rocket floated out of the vent and created a platform for Jazz and Maddie which she used to lower the women to the ground silently. Rose crept to the door and quietly opened it a crack to check the corridor. She scowled. There was a guard patrolling the corridor. Obviously the Light had learned not to trust Danny to follow orders and added security. At least that's what she guessed as the others had commented on the lack of security during the briefing. She glanced at the others and put a gloved finger to her lips before slipping out the door behind the guard. Stealth was an essential part of her training with the Huntsclan.

Before the guard could react, Rose grabbed the burly man from behind and wrapped her hand tightly over his nose and mouth. She then used her other arm to pinch a nerve before the man could recover enough to throw her off. The man crumbled in an unconscious heap which Rose hefted onto her shoulder and dragged back to the bedroom the others were hiding in. She dropped the man on the floor and signalled for the others to follow her. Rocket blinked in shock. The takedown had been almost silent. This blonde teen was better than most ninjas.

Rose crept down the corridor, pointing out creaking floorboards for the others to avoid and they soon arrived at the room Robin marked on the map. Rose pulled a hairpin out of her long plaited hair and calmly pushed it into the keyhole. While Rose picked the lock, Rocket, Maddie and Jazz kept a look out. The room was on a corner which made them very exposed. A minute later a deafening click cut through the tense silence. Rose replaced the hairpin in her hair and stood up. She turned to Jazz.

"You open the door. We'll cover you if Danny ends up attacking us," Rose whispered, pulling out a thick blue rod from under her dark leather jacket. Jazz nodded nervously and took hold of the handle. She glanced at the other women and they all nodded. They were ready to protect her and force Danny back if need be. Even though it hurt to think of the halfa as dangerous, they couldn't trust him while under this spell. He could very well attack them viciously. It wasn't his fault, but they had to be prepared.

Jazz pushed down the handle and opened the door. She released the breath she hadn't realised she was holding when she saw Danny and Jake sitting on the bed playing noughts and crosses, using the damp ash and a toothbrush as a pen. The instant the door opened, Danny grabbed the cup of ash and hid it under the bed with the defaced book and Jake jumped to his feet to block the intruder's view. However both boys realised quickly that they needn't have bothered. Jake grinned happily as he spotted his girlfriend behind Danny's sister. Danny eyed them warily, waiting with dread for any compulsions to hurt these people. To his amazement though, he didn't have any.

"Are you okay little brother?" Jazz ventured, edging further into the room. Danny nodded.

"Are you hurt sweetie?" Maddie called over from the doorway worriedly.

"No, I'm fine. You should get out of here with Jake," Danny replied carefully.

"We're not leaving without you. Can you leave the room?" Jazz retorted firmly. Danny bit his lip before shaking his head with a sigh.

"No, the order's still there. I can't leave," Danny informed them.

Jake crossed the room and stood beside Rose.

"You tell them who you were?" Jake whispered.

"I had to. But I said nothing about you being a dragon," Rose answered softly.

"Thanks, although, I think I've blown my secret. I had to change earlier and Danny's previous cover story for my dragon self isn't gonna hold under scrutiny. Can you get rid of this sphinx's hair?" Jake remarked quietly with a sigh. Rose nodded and pulled out a pocket knife. With ease, she cut the braided bracelet and tossed the hair down the corridor. Jake smiled happily as he felt his strength return to him.

"How's Danny?" Rose asked as Maddie inspected her son, looking for any evidence of his elevated energy problem getting worse.

"Better than he was. Before we figured out that he could write down the orders, he was so angry and hopeless. But he's better now," Jake admitted. Rose nodded in understanding.

"Come on Danny, let's get you home," Maddie concluded, deciding to drop the health issue for now. Danny shook his head.

"I can't leave this room. I've tried before. Without permission from Cheshire or Kl-master-grr!" Danny retorted before cutting himself off angrily.

"Danny, we understand that you have to call Klarion that," Jake interjected, seeing that Danny was getting frustrated again.

"But I don't want to call him that! I hate calling him that!" Danny exploded angrily.

"Danny, calm down. It's alright. We'll fix this. Are you sure that there isn't a loophole in the order that we could use?" Jazz soothed her brother caringly. Danny huffed and turned to his sister.

"I'm not allowed to leave the room. But Cheshire also ordered me to follow her out the room," Danny explained, slightly calmer now.

"What if you were forced to leave the room?" Rocket offered.

"I wouldn't be able to move away from the room. I'd be unable to walk anywhere but back in here," Danny answered.

"What if you were taken from the room? Forcibly?" Rose suggested. Danny sighed and shrugged.

"I guess. I'm technically not leaving the room. I'm being taken from the room," Danny reasoned.

"Alright then. Sorry sweetie," Maddie decided and pulled out a ghost net and threw it at her son.

Danny gasped in alarm and instinctively tried to dodge but failed. Maddie then began to pull Danny towards the door. Danny fell to the ground with a grunt but didn't struggle further. Jazz bit her lip before she turned on the shower and shut the bathroom door and made the bed look occupied. At least then if someone poked their head in, they wouldn't know instantly that both occupants were missing. Rose, following Jazz's train of thought, locked the door behind the red head before leading the way through the complex. Robin had mapped out a route to take Danny out of the building before taking the halfa to the Bioship. Once there, they'd have to tie him up in case Klarion ordered him to return or to attack them.

Once the door was out of sight, Maddie stopped and turned to her trapped son.

"Is it safe to let you out?" Maddie asked softly. Danny frowned in thought before nodding uncertainly.

"I think so. I'm not feeling the need to go back or follow any other orders right now," Danny decided. Maddie smiled and retracted the net into a silver and green tube before strapping it to her hip. Jazz helped her brother to his feet.

"Let us know if there's something wrong and we'll stop and try and help you," Jazz muttered reassuringly. Danny smiled at his sister gratefully.

"Follow me guys," Rose called quietly and led the way to the nearest staircase. Danny obediently followed the blonde, Jake walking beside the halfa out of concern. The dragon had learned a lot about how the spell worked from Danny and knew the trigger signs that Danny was being forced to follow an order. However so far so good.

Team 2 had originally planned to use the storm drain team alpha used earlier but they'd need a ghost to get inside, which they didn't have. So instead, Kim led the two tech boys to a service entrance at the back of the building and used an invention Wade made for her to pick the lock. The three slipped inside and then found a way into the vents. Spud and Tucker weren't the best fighters. It was safer to use the vents to get to the cage room in order to free their allies. Then those prisoners would join team 2 and they'd take down the labs before heading to where Klarion was and helping team 3. As a result, team 2 was the weakest with only Kim to fight off any threats.

Kim led the way, following the map on her Kimmunicator. It took almost ten minutes to reach the cage room and a further five to figure out how to drop to the ground twenty feet below safely. Kim used her trusty hairdryer grappling hook to swing down with Tucker first and then she swung back up using her grappling line to get Spud. The others in the cages watched silently, knowing the plan as it was explained using the mind link. Spud and Tucker immediately ran to the closest cages and unlocked the doors manually. Robin believed that the release button the team pressed before may have been linked to an alarm. As everyone had been worried about Danny, they probably hadn't been as cautious as they should have been. Kim unclasped her watch and handed it to M'gann through the cage bars. Using a connecting cable, Wade started to manually open M'gann's cage. Kim, meanwhile, stood guard, alert to any potential dangers. Tucker freed Robin and the boy wonder began helping the two tech geniuses with the rest of the cages. It took a lot longer than they estimated, but half an hour later, the ghosts and their allies were freed.

"Thanks Spud," Fu dog grunted as the talking dog was freed.

"Fu! The others," Spud hissed nervously.

"Relax kid, had to blow my cover to figure out the deal with Danny," Fu dog confessed.

"Man, Gramps is so gonna be angry! And he's gonna go crazy with the Chinese," Spud moaned. Fu dog scowled at the teen as Spud began a very poor impersonation of the elderly dragon.

"Sam, let me help you," Tucker muttered as he held a hand out to the Goth. Sam scowled at the hand but accepted the help. The techno-geek pulled the girl out of the cage and gasped loudly in concern.

"Sam! That needs treatment! You gotta go to a hospital!" Tucker exclaimed worriedly, spotting the severe burn on Sam's arm.

"Shut it Tuck. I'm fine," Sam snarled sharply.

"Sam, you're not," Tucker argued.

"Woah! Sam, why didn't you tell us it was that bad," Wally whistled, spotting the burn also, limping slightly on the foot he landed on when Danny dropped the speedster.

"Because it's not! And… Danny will feel bad enough already," Sam retorted. Tucker's angry, concerned gaze softened.

"Danny's not here right now. He's not even part of the mind link. You don't have to suffer in silence to be strong for him," Tucker murmured gently. Sam sighed and nodded.

"I know. But I don't like admitting I need help. You know that," Sam confessed softly.

Tucker nodded before blinking in surprise as Skulker came over with glowing white bandages in his hand.

"I keep medical supplies in my suit at all times. I saw how powerful that shot was. I can treat the burn, but it will need proper medical attention," Skulker muttered as he placed the bandages, covered in a cool gel-like substance over the wound. Sam gasped in surprise before smiling at Skulker in thanks.

"Remember, this is just temporary. It's better to treat my allies now than hope to hunt a weakened prey later," Skulker reminded them before returning to Ember's side, who smirked knowingly at the ghostly hunter.

"The ghosts agreed to help us as long as they get free," Sam explained.

"Where did all these ghosts come from anyway?" Kim wondered.

"Apparently Klarion and Cheshire took Danny into the Ghost Zone to raid Walker's prison for ghosts. They caught two thermoses full of ghosts," Wally answered.

"That's everyone!" Robin called.

"Good. Then let's shut down those labs and we'll need weapons," Zatanna decided and the group of teens, Fu dog and ghosts filed out of the now open ecto-ranium lined door. The ghosts then phased through the walls and floor to escape.

"My suit is running out of ammo. I won't be able to help," Skulker admitted to the teens.

"And I don't have my guitar. I need that to fight," Ember added.

"As for us, we're not the fighting types," Kitty concluded, pointing to herself and Johnny.

"Alright. Thanks for trying to help earlier though," Sam conceded and let the ghosts leave. Robin then led the way to the warehouse and labs.

 **Don't be too surprised that none of the full ghosts stuck around. They said from the beginning, they were only helping to ensure they got free. They're not gonna risk getting caught again for Danny, when Skulker has already informed the ghosts that the halfa has to obey his captors because of the spell.**

 **But the rescue team are finally starting to realise what they need to do to save Danny, they have to work with his orders and make sure he isn't forced to choose between obeying Klarion and protecting them.**

 **But… that spell is still there. Reckon it might cause trouble again?**

 **Also remember that some of the heroes are injured. Wally's ankle. Sam's arm. Will this escape attempt be successful?**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **So check out my facebook page for the winner of the poll. There's a link in my bio. Unfortunately I haven't been able to make a video for the upcoming fanfic due to college work.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	39. Chapter 39

Team 3 got lucky and found an open window on the second floor to sneak through. Despite fearing a trap, they got inside safely. They then turned to Ron who had an old version of Kim's Kimmunicator. The teen turned on the device and brought up the map and scowled in confusion.

"Where to Ron?" Artemis prompted.

"Uh. I have to confess something. I don't know how to read blueprints," Ron muttered sheepishly. Rufus, Ron's pet naked mole rat, growled softly in annoyance and clambered up onto Ron's shoulder. The rodent then surveyed the blueprints and pointed to the right.

"Okay, Rufus can read these. That way," Ron whispered happily. Valerie, Kaldur and Artemis glanced at each other.

"Are you serious?" Valerie asked.

"Oh yeah. Completely. Didn't you know that naked mole rats are extremely intelligent?" Ron confirmed, nodding seriously. The others just shrugged and decided to go with it.

Rufus directed Ron through the building and Ron led the team towards the main security hub. Artemis fired an arrow inside filled with knock-out gas. The three guards collapsed within seconds.

"Good thing Wade and Spud hacked in and looped the security footage," Kaldur muttered as Ron connected his Kimmunicator to the monitors.

"I think Tucker's pretty miffed though about being undermined. I mean I would be too. He is the best out of our group with tech," Valerie remarked.

"Apparently Tucker's more reliable than Spud though. Spud gets distracted easily whereas Tucker stays focused. He's also good at taking the initiative in a fight," Ron recalled, having spent a lot of time with Jake and Danny and heard of how their friends work in stressful situations.

"Huh, never thought about that but Spud is pretty unfocused. He keeps pointing out how I look like his girlfriend," Artemis mumbled.

"Alright, I'm linked up. Give me a minute and I'll have the footage uploaded and I'll mark where Klarion is," Wade announced through the Kimmunicator.

Before the minute was up, Wade grinned at the computer and pressed a final button on his keyboard before leaning back in his chair and slurping a gulp of soda from a take-away cup.

"Done. Klarion's marked on your map now. I'll keep an eye on how everyone's doing," Wade promised.

"Could you give a progress report now?" Kaldur requested.

"Sure. Kim's team are almost to the cage room. And Rose's team are picking the lock on Danny's door," Wade reported.

"Thank you," Kaldur muttered. That was good to hear, things were going to plan. Ron unhooked the Kimmunicator and Rufus perched on Ron's shoulder once again. The pet and owner led the way out of the security hub and down the corridor towards Klarion.

Twenty minutes later, filled with following Ron or pulling him into hiding before he could get caught by patrolling guards, they reached the room Wade marked Klarion to be inside. Artemis huffed softly and pulled Ron back before he casually walked inside.

"You can put that away now," she hissed. Ron nodded sheepishly and shoved the device into his pocket and Rufus settled in Ron's other pocket. Kaldur hummed softly as the others turned to him for the plan.

"Klarion isn't going to be easy to beat. So that's not the objective. We just need to get that crystal ball away from him. If we can take his control over Danny away then we'll be better off. Val, you take high. Artemis take left, and I'll take right. Ron… think you can activate that mystical monkey magic stuff?" Kaldur delegated quietly. Ron shrugged.

"I haven't exactly needed it in college but I think I know how to activate it," Ron admitted.

"If you can activate it, rush Klarion. That much power can probably take him on. If you can't… try and get the crystal ball off him," Kaldur decided. Ron nodded, giving a mocking salute.

Kaldur grabbed the door handle and nodded to the others before throwing the door open and the four teens charged inside. It was an old factory floor. While some of the original fixtures were visible, most of the equipment had been ripped out and the long, spacious room had been converted into a gym for the Light members to use. There was a line of five treadmills on one side and three weight-lifting machines opposite. There were numerous blue mats on the floor to enable safe falls during spars. There was a punching bag in two corners too. Klarion was sitting to one side clapping happily as he watched Cheshire fight against three ninjas completely covered in black clothes. Beside the seated teen was a plump orange cat, watching the fight disinterestedly.

Kaldur gulped, they hadn't planned for others being around Klarion.

"Artemis, take Cheshire. Valerie, Klarion. I'll take the three ninjas. Ron, distraction or Klarion," Kaldur quickly delegated before running forward towards the recovering villains, pulling out his water bearers and creating swords. Artemis nodded seriously and pulled out her bow and fired a stun arrow at her sister. Valerie jumped into the air and a hover board appeared under her feet. She charged forward and three cubes materialised around her, firing pink blasts of energy at the lord of chaos. Ron gulped before taking a deep breath.

"I am the monkey master. I can do this," Ron muttered with complete sincerity and belief in his words. A mighty monkey shriek pierced the air and a blue aura of power enveloped Ron, raising the teen into the air before dropping him back down in an aura in the shape of a monkey.

Klarion got to his feet, having created a red shield around himself and Teekl to protect himself from Valerie and gasped in awe.

"A master of Tai Shing Pek Kwar. I haven't seen one of those in centuries," Klarion muttered. Ron gave a loud monkey scream and charged at Klarion. The lord of chaos frowned.

"How did the baby heroes find you?" Klarion mumbled with distaste. Ron flipped in mid-air and landed against the shield. To Klarion and Valerie's shock, the shield shattered and Ron instantly resumed his charge at Klarion. Klarion gasped in alarm and created a portal to teleport himself out of harm's way. Ron grabbed the teen before he could escape though and threw him across the room. The others all stared at Ron and Klarion. Klarion was a lord of chaos. One of the most powerful beings in the world. And a teen boy had broken through his shield and thrown the Witch Boy across the room.

Klarion groaned before glaring hatefully at Ron.

"I don't know how you came to be and I don't know how these baby heroes found you. But I don't care!" Klarion shouted angrily before clumsily getting to his feet. He pulled out a crystal ball filled with swirling black energy.

"Get that crystal ball away from him!" Artemis exclaimed and tried to abandon her fight with Cheshire to intercept the Witch Boy. Cheshire quickly reengaged the archer though. Valerie gasped and sped forward on her hover board but one of the three ninjas Kaldur was fighting, left the Atlantean and jumped up on to her board. Valerie cried out in surprise before she was pulled into a fist fight with the ninja on her narrow board. Ron charged at Klarion, jumping over the ninja that moved to intercept him. Klarion glowered at Ron and blasted the teen in the chest with chaotic red energy. It cut through the blue aura and hit Ron squarely in the chest, winding the teen as he was thrown across the room. Klarion brought the crystal ball to his lips.

"Oh Phantom. Come to the gym," Klarion cooed to the ball. Ron staggered to his feet and charged at Klarion once again.

Unfortunately things weren't going according to plan for team 1. It turned out that the blueprints didn't take new walls into consideration. Their planned escape route was cut off and they had had to find a new route. Danny cried out in pain suddenly and dropped to his knees, clutching his chest in agony.

"Danny!?" Maddie exclaimed in alarm and rushed to her son's side.

"What's wrong?" Maddie asked. Danny gritted his teeth and clenched his eyes shut in agony, the pain wasn't fading like before. He slowly shook his head. He didn't know what was wrong. All he knew was that there was a stabbing agony in the middle of his chest and it hurt. Maybe he shouldn't have shrugged off the first time this happened in the bathroom at Fenton Works. Maddie pulled her son to her and frantically tried to find a reason for this sudden ailment.

"Mom, what's wrong with him?" Jazz whispered fearfully.

"It must be the elevated energy. It's the only thing I can think of. But I don't know how to help him," Maddie muttered.

Rose and Rocket glanced at each other in concern while Jake hovered over Maddie and Danny worriedly with Jazz. This was the worst possible timing. They were in the middle of a corridor with no cover.

"Danny, can we help?" Jake called.

"Dunno. It's… never been… this bad b-before," Danny muttered through the agony.

"Mom, if this is because of his energy, maybe he should use his powers. Get rid of some energy," Jazz suggested hopefully.

"There's no telling if he can release energy safely like this Jazz, he might raise the alarm by accident with an explosion," Maddie pointed out. Suddenly Danny gasped. This time it wasn't in pain, it was more in surprise.

"M-master's calling me," he mumbled.

"No. Danny you can't go to him," Rose interjected.

"I-I can't ignore an o-order," Danny reminded them.

"You can resist it though," Rose replied.

"I-I dunno if I c-can right now," Danny retorted. The only reasons he hadn't already gone was because Klarion hadn't said now yet and because he was in too much pain to move in that moment. But if Klarion ordered him again, he would have to obey.

"Jazz, get the thermos out," Jake ordered firmly. Jazz blinked but nodded.

"Danny, think you can change without rushing off to Klarion?" Jake inquired.

"I… I don't k-know," Danny groaned.

Danny moaned loudly and curled in on himself. Maddie gasped worriedly and tried to comfort him.

"I-I have to g-go. N-now," Danny mumbled.

"Try and resist," Rocket pleaded. Danny whimpered softly as his chest and head throbbed in agony. He was now ignoring two direct orders to go to Klarion. Maddie grasped her son's hand firmly and muttered numerous comforting phrases in his ear. The pain was so great, his head was starting to spin already. He was seeing stars as his eyes watered. He needed to go to his master but he couldn't even focus enough to phase through the floor. He had to obey but he couldn't. Not with his chest in so much agony.

" _Phantom! Get here now!_ " Klarion's voice boomed through his mind.

"M-master," Danny sobbed involuntarily.

"What do we do?" Maddie asked, begging for someone to have the answer. She couldn't bear to see her child in such anguish. Jazz gazed at her brother with sympathy before gasping in alarm. There were drips of red on the ground. She dropped to her knees and gently pulled Danny's face up, terrified of what she'd find. She gasped in horror. His nose was bleeding profusely.

"He's bleeding!" she exclaimed. Maddie snapped her attention back to her son and pulled out a tissue from her belt and attempted to mop up the flowing blood.

"That's it. _You guys have to get that crystal ball from Klarion. Now_!" Jake shouted over the mind link.

" _What do you think we're trying to do_!?" Artemis retorted sharply.

" _You don't understand. Danny's in a bad way. His chest started hurting again. He can't move he's in so much pain and Klarion's orders aren't helping. He literally can't obey Klarion right now, even if he wanted to_ ," Jake explained.

" _His nose is bleeding_!" Jazz added fearfully.

" _Alright. New plan. Get the ball. Ignore the others and focus on Klarion_ ," Kaldur commanded.

"Don't worry Danny. They'll get the crystal ball away from Klarion," Maddie muttered reassuringly.

"N-no. I-I h-have to p-protect it. I-I have to go. M-master," Danny mumbled, his eyes almost completely black from the spell.

"You shouldn't have told him that. He's fighting enough orders right now. Remember, he has to protect the crystal ball," Jake growled in frustration. Maddie gasped in horror, realising that she had made things worse.

" _Phantom! Change into your ghost form now and get here!_ " Klarion yelled in Danny's mind. Danny shouted in pain as white rings appeared around his waist.

" _Klarion just ordered Danny to change into his ghost form_ ," Artemis informed the others over the mind link.

"Danny, you mustn't. You could hurt yourself," Maddie exclaimed fearfully.

"I-I have t-to obey," Danny screamed as the rings slid over his body, changing his crumpled clothes into a skin-tight black and white jumpsuit. A pulse of green energy erupted from Danny, pushing Maddie and Jazz away from their family member. With another cry of agony, Danny phased through the floor.

 **Oh no! Such bad timing. Poor Danny's elevated energy is causing problems while Klarion's ordering the halfa around.**

 **Any idea what might happen?**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Make sure to check out my facebook page for the winner of the poll!**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	40. Chapter 40

Things weren't going well. They had to focus on Klarion and getting the crystal ball but the assassins were stubborn and insistent. Every time the heroes turned their backs, they risked getting hit. Ron kept charging at Klarion but more often than not, Klarion would blast the teen away or turned to smoke and reappear elsewhere in the room. Valerie didn't have the room on her hover board to fight someone, let alone a highly skilled and trained ninja going for the kill. She was struggling to keep up with her opponent. Artemis and Kaldur were fighting a losing battle too. Three against two.

" _We might need some back up_ ," Artemis muttered over the mind link.

Suddenly an agonised cry interrupted the fighting and Danny Phantom phased through the ceiling, falling to the ground limply. Klarion paused and grinned at the halfa.

"Finally. Phantom, finish these heroes off," Klarion cheered. Danny groaned, shivering in agony as he pushed himself up. Kaldur watched the halfa worriedly, but it was obvious that the ghostly teen was in no fit state to fight anyone.

"Teekl is the cutest pussy-cat ever," Kaldur recited calmly. He couldn't allow Danny to fight in his condition. The halfa would get hurt.

"How did you hear that!?" Klarion exclaimed in shock. Artemis and Valerie shared a look across the room.

"Teekl is the cutest pussy-cat ever," the chorused together.

"Teekl is the cutest pussy-cat ever," Ron repeated. Danny flashed them the smallest smile of gratitude before his knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground again.

"Phantom! Explain!" Klarion snarled angrily.

"I wrote it down and gave it to Jake to read," Danny automatically answered, too exhausted and in pain to even consider resisting. The agony in his chest was slowly fading but it had left him completely spent. And yet, he knew he had plenty of ghost energy to fight with.

"Bad Phantom! You're not meant to be that smart!" Klarion scolded.

"What's wrong with him?" Cheshire inquired, noticing that the halfa wasn't acting like normal. Klarion paused in his angry rant to look at the halfa and frowned.

"I dunno know. Phantom, answer Cheshire," Klarion muttered, secretly concerned about the health of his newest pet and the Light's weapon.

"I dunno know. My chest is so painful. I couldn't focus enough to use my powers," Danny answered slowly. Klarion blinked.

"That's why you didn't come? Because you couldn't use your powers. You weren't purposefully ignoring me," Klarion realised, his tone clearly wanted an answer though.

"Yes master," Danny confirmed softly.

"Why is that happening?" Cheshire demanded to know.

"Might be my elevated energy," Danny admitted, giving the female assassin a weak glare.

The unofficial truce was interrupted when Danielle, Zatanna, Kim, Wally stormed into the room to offer their teammates back up. Wally ignored his painful ankle and used his super-speed regardless. The three ninjas instantly charged at the newcomers and Cheshire resumed fighting Kaldur and Artemis. Ron glanced between Danny and Klarion before charging at the Witch Boy once again. Kim and Wally engaged the ninjas while Danielle and Zatanna sprinted to Danny's side.

"Danny!?" Danielle exclaimed worriedly.

"Are you hurt?" Zatanna asked with concern. Danny shook his head.

"No. Actually, the pain in my chest is finally fading," Danny muttered. Zatanna and Danielle helped the halfa to his feet, supporting him as his knees threatened to give way yet again. They began to walk Danny out of the room, out of danger.

Suddenly Klarion shouted in alarm. Danny glanced back and instantly wished he hadn't. The crystal ball was in mid-air. The same crystal ball he had been ordered to protect. Danny was running before he even realised it. Kim tackled Cheshire and Kaldur ran to help the college girl hold the assassin down. Two of the ninjas had been knocked out and Wally was dealing with the last one. Artemis pulled her back-up bow out of her quiver, her primary one snapped by Cheshire early in the fight, and notched an arrow. She took a second to aim and fired the arrow directly at the crystal ball. Only that's not what happened. Danny, bound by the spell to protect the crystal ball with his life, jumped in between the arrow and the crystal ball. Instead of crystal, the arrow plunged into the teen's body. Artemis gasped in horror as Danny fell to the ground. The arrow had embedded itself in his chest, right through his left lung and heart.

For a split second everyone was frozen in horror before something smashed. The crystal ball was broken. The black energy escaped the ball and swirled through the air for a moment before rushing towards Danny. There was no telling what that corrupted energy could do to Danny.

"No! Wolb that ygrene kcab!" Zatanna shouted. The energy faltered for a moment before rushing forward again and engulfing Danny. The energy plunged into Danny through his wound, gasping mouth, eyes, ears and nose. Nothing seemed to happen but then Danny began to shake and tremble like he was having a seizure.

Danielle sped to her adoptive brother's side. She dropped to her knees beside him but she didn't know what to do. His eyes were rolling in their sockets, flickering between green, blue and black. His mouth was foaming with spittle tinged black as he gurgled on blood from his flooding lung.

"Help him!" Danielle screamed desperately. Klarion huffed and crossed his arms, sulking. Cheshire, Kim and Kaldur were frozen on the blue mats, mid-wrestling match. Ron's blue aura had dispersed as he watched in horror before running to Danny's side with Wally. Wally tried to hold the spasming halfa down while Ron carefully pulled the arrow out of Danny's chest.

Ron quickly pressed his hands down on Danny's wound as it pooled with green blood.

"Does he have a heartbeat in ghost form?" Ron asked Danielle, trying to stay calm. Danielle was crying silently as she nodded.

"B-but it's w-weak," she choked out between breathless sobs. Ron gave a curt nod before putting his head on Danny's chest, ignoring the blood seeping into his hair.

"Keep him still Kid Flash," Ron ordered.

"I'm… trying! He's strong!" Wally grunted as he fought Danny as he spasmed.

"Go, I got her," Kim told Kaldur and the Atlantean got off Cheshire and ran to Danny's side and helped Wally to hold the halfa down. Ron frowned in concentration as he listened intently for a heartbeat. He breathed a sigh of relief as he heard a single weak heartbeat.

Suddenly a blast of green energy erupted from Danny, throwing everyone gathered around him away. A strangled yell escaped the halfa's mouth as green energy surrounded him. The green glow shone so bright that everyone transfixed in horror was forced to look away. The light faded and Danny was still. Danielle's eyes swam with unshed tears as she watched her unmoving brother. She was terrified that he had died from a combination of the corrupted energy, injury and elevated energy. Maybe his human half had given up. Maybe all that pain in his chest was his human heart failing. Maybe resisting those orders, intentionally or not, had damaged his brain. Maybe the magic had reacted badly with his ghost side and caused it to destroy itself. She was so scared but she daren't move closer to find out the truth.

Artemis was frozen in horror at what she'd done. She hadn't thought about her actions. She grabbed the wrong arrow. She meant to grab a foaming arrow to cushion the crystal ball and trap it away from Klarion. But she grabbed the wrong arrow in her rush and pulled out a normal one. Now she injured and possibly killed a friend. She felt sick. She felt disgusted with herself. But she couldn't move. Zatanna was crying silently. If she had tried harder. If she had used a different spell to stop the energy combining with Danny. Then maybe the halfa wouldn't be hurt. He wouldn't be lying on the ground covered in his own blood, completely, sickeningly still. Ron, Wally and Kaldur stared at the unmoving halfa. They were all covered in green ghost blood from trying to help the halfa. But they failed. The crystal ball broke and may have caused Danny's death. Kim kept her grip firmly on Cheshire's arms. Her weight on the assassin's back didn't waver. This woman was the reason Danny got in this situation in the first place. Cheshire kidnapped Danny from that Guys in White base. Klarion may have cast the spell and ordered Danny to protect the crystal ball, but this woman put Danny in the position where Klarion could get what he needed for the ritual to cast the spell.

Valerie stared at Danny in horror. So many nights, before the disasteroid, she had dreamed of this. Seeing the ghost she hated and blamed for all her misfortune, unmoving in a pool of his own ectoplasm. But now… she knew. She knew that this ghost was not her sworn enemy. He was her friend. One of the few people that actually reached out to her in her time of need. It wasn't meant to happen like this. She was meant to save him. She was meant to make amends for her wrongdoings. But… she failed. Valerie's breath caught in her throat as her emotions began to overwhelm her. But then she gasped. From her vantage point above the horrifyingly gory sight, she could see something no one else noticed. His chest was completely healed.

 **I love cliff hangers.**

 **Dead or unconscious? What do you think?**

 **What do you think will happen next?**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	41. Chapter 41

Danny felt powerful. He felt angry. He felt sick. His buzzing mind was hazy from the agonising pain he had been in mere seconds ago. All he had wanted was to escape that agony. He felt bile rush up his throat and he blindly rolled over to vomit. He retched as he vomited pure black sludge. He didn't hear the numerous gasps of relief and joy. He coughed and shook as he recovered from his ordeal. His neon green eyes slowly opened and the first thing he saw was a skinny teen in an unkempt suit. Danny growled furiously. That was the person who reduced him to a slave. That was the person who imprisoned him without locking a door. That was the person who forced him to hurt Sam. With a roar of hateful rage, Danny surged towards Klarion.

Klarion gasped in surprise but he didn't have the time to react before Danny tackled the teen to the ground. Danny only saw the pale face of his tormentor. He didn't even realise what he was doing as he punched Klarion in the face. He punched and punched and punched again. All he wanted was to show this monster a fraction of the pain Klarion forced on him. It took a full minute before Danielle and Valerie realised that Danny wasn't going to stop. While they all understood and believed that Klarion deserved this, they knew that they couldn't just let Danny beat the guy up. Not like this. True, it was doubtful that it would even leave lasting damage on the Witch Boy. The teen was bound to this plane of existence by his cat Teekl, the only way to hurt Klarion was to target the cat. They had to stop Danny regardless.

Valerie and Danielle rushed forwards and grabbed Danny's arms before he punched Klarion yet again. They tried to pull him off the lord of chaos but Danny fought against them and yelled in blind fury.

"Danny! Snap out of it!" Valerie shouted desperately. Danny blindly pushed Danielle off of him. The younger halfa fell back and lost her grip on his flailing arm. Kaldur scrambled to his feet and replaced Danielle. Gradually Kaldur and Valerie pulled Danny away from Klarion. The halfa was furious. That much was clear. He screamed and shouted and fought to attack Klarion. Klarion slowly got to his feet, stunned by the brutal assault Danny inflicted on him. He then scanned the room for his cat. Teekl had wisely hidden from the fighting. Or at least, the cat had been hidden until Wally found that cat. While Kaldur, Danielle and Valerie fought to pull Danny off the villain, Wally had spotted the cat and sprinted to catch the Witch Boy's anchor.

"I don't think you're going anywhere," Wally remarked smugly, holding the cat up by its scruff.

Suddenly team 1 and Jake ran into the room breathlessly. They froze however when they saw the uncontrollable halfa fighting Kaldur and Valerie, shouting unintelligently at Klarion.

"What happened!?" Jazz cried over her brother's crazed tantrum.

"Dunno, Danny kinda went off the deep end. He's trying to beat Klarion to death I think," Zatanna mumbled.

"What happened before that?" Jake pressed in confusion.

"The crystal ball broke and Artemis accidentally shot Danny in the chest. She was aiming for the crystal ball," Zatanna recounted.

"He's injured!" Maddie exclaimed with concern.

"Could use some help!" Valerie yelled over Danny's screams. Jake ran forward and tackled Danny to the ground. Now on the ground, Kaldur, Jake and Valerie dog-piled on the halfa and held him down that way. Danny struggled and thrashed wildly but he couldn't get free.

Rose frowned thoughtfully. She cocked her head to the side before turning to Maddie.

"Is his nervous system the same or very similar like this?" Rose inquired.

"It should be. Why?" Maddie answered uncertainly.

"I might be able to temporarily paralyse him so he won't hurt anyone or himself. We can't be sure if this uncontrollable behaviour is permanent or a temporary thing I know. But we'll be able to get him to the Bioship safely," Rose explained, waiting for the woman's consent. Maddie nibbled her lip as she watched her crazed son, screaming furiously and struggling desperately under three teenagers. The mother sighed sadly and nodded. Rose offered a sympathetic nod before running over to the dog pile and pinching a point on Danny's neck. The halfa went still instantly.

"He's paralysed now. Sorry Danny but it's for everyone's safety," Rose announced. Hesitantly, Jake, Kaldur and Valerie got off the halfa.

Danielle dropped beside her brother and took his hand sadly.

"Don't worry. We're here for you," Danielle whispered worriedly. Kaldur scanned the room. Wally had Teekl which meant Klarion couldn't go anywhere. Kim had Cheshire pinned on the mats still. The Atlantean allowed himself a small smile. They'd actually caught a member of the Light. Not just any member either. One of the leaders! That was massive. Even the Justice League had trouble doing that. And as a bonus, they caught Cheshire too. However, no one saw that Cheshire had pulled a small button out of her belt during her struggle with Kim and Kaldur. Now that the halfa had been subdued, the assassin pressed the button. A blaring alarm cut through the relieved silence and the room was filled with smoke. Perplexed and confused, Kim loosened her grip on the woman a fraction and that was all she needed. Cheshire forced her elbow back and hit Kim in the stomach painfully. Kim gagged in pain before Cheshire threw the teen off her back. The assassin gracefully got to her feet and kicked Kim viciously. Kim cried out in pain.

"Hold on KP!" Ron shouted and ran blindly into the smoke. Cheshire grinned under her mask and flipped the sidekick over herself and directly into Wally who hadn't dared move. The speedster cried out in surprise and dropped Teekl. The cat ran to Klarion and the Witch Boy formed a portal and escaped with his familiar. Cheshire smashed through a window and escaped also. By the time the smoke cleared, Kim was on her feet, gripping her bruised stomach. Ron was helping Wally back to his feet, particularly as the speedster had an injured ankle. Kaldur sighed.

"Everyone still here? No one get taken captive in the smoke?" Kaldur called.

"We're all here," Zatanna reported, quickly scanning the room and seeing that no one was missing.

"Sorry Kaldur. She got a good hit in and I'm a bit rusty," Kim muttered regretfully. Kaldur shook his head.

"It's fine Kim. Cheshire's a slippery one. And Klarion even more so," Kaldur assured the college girl calmly.

" _Robin? How's things with you_?" Kaldur inquired over the mind link.

" _Almost finished. We can back you guys up in a few minutes_ ," Robin answered.

" _No need. We've got Danny and Klarion and Cheshire just flew the coop_ ," Artemis sighed.

" _Oh. At least we've got Danny though. We can debrief at Fenton Works, right_?" Robin replied uncertainly.

" _Of course. I think we'd all like to find out what the Guys in White were up to_ ," Maddie agreed, watching her son with concerned eyes.

Carrying Danny wasn't that hard as Valerie simply materialised her hover board and they placed the paralysed halfa on that. The hover board was easy to push. The entire base had been abandoned, apart from a few ninjas and guards the teens had subdued during their infiltration which the Justice League could handle, Robin making the call to his mentor once the rescue teams reunited. They laid Danny down in the back of the Bioship. Wally dropped into a seat in the cockpit, nursing his injured ankle with a block of ice Danielle made for him. Sam was sitting with Danny alongside Maddie, Tucker, Jake, Jazz and Danielle. Jake was there mostly because they might need someone strong to subdue the halfa if he became violent again. But he was concerned for the halfa also. They all were. It was disconcerting to see their friend fall into such a murderous rage, especially someone who was usually so carefree. M'gann took the Bioship controls and everyone settled down for the flight.

 **Will Danny be back to normal when the paralysis wears off or has the spell and elevated energy done something to the halfa?**

 **Also, any ideas about what that pain in his chest is?**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	42. Chapter 42

Jack lifted his paralysed son from the hover board and on to a table in the lab. Zatanna summoned a pillow for the halfa. Maddie was examining Sam's burn with Tucker hovering nearby by out of concern and Wally was sitting down with his ankle propped up and an ice pack. Artemis sat beside her boyfriend watching Danny with guilty eyes. Ron, thanks to his monkey aura, had miraculously avoided any injury despite the amount of hits Klarion got in. Kim on the other hand had a massive bruise across her stomach. Jake stood beside Rose and Spud, carefully out of the way, watching Danny worriedly. Danielle stood nearby her adoptive brother both out of concern and for everyone's safety. As a halfa herself, Danielle was better equipped to fight off her brother than others. Many of Young Justice had asked to take showers or get some food which Maddie and Jack were more than happy to provide, Jazz even offered to cook dinner for everyone.

Jimmy frowned at the paralysed halfa as Jack gently pushed a syringe into the teen's arm and took an ectoplasm sample. The man then placed the sample under a microscope.

"How long will he be like this?" Jimmy asked, glancing at Rose.

"No way to tell. If he's like a normal human though, maybe a few more minutes. He has been paralysed for a long time now," Rose answered. Jimmy nodded and turned back to Danny just in time to see the teen's fingers twitch.

"I think it's wearing off now actually," Jimmy remarked. Everyone turned to Danny worriedly. Even Jack paused in his research to turn and watch his son. No one knew what the halfa would be like when he regained control of his body. Either the halfa would be angry and violent again or he would have snapped out of that uncontrolled rage.

Danny twitched his fingers again. The rage and fury had long since faded. All he remembered was feeling agony and then seeing Klarion. The rest was a blur before he found himself in the Bioship, unable to move with Jake, Danielle, Sam, Tucker and his mother swimming in and out of his peripheral vision. It had been frightening. He instantly feared that Klarion had ordered him not to move and that the spell couldn't be lifted. But then he realised something. His mind hadn't tried to correct his thoughts of Klarion. The Witch Boy wasn't his master anymore. Had Danny been able to move, he would have begun crying with joy and relief. The spell was gone. He didn't have to obey Klarion and Cheshire anymore. He was free. Really free this time. But then he noticed something else. His chest was buzzing softly in pain. It wasn't unbearable like before, but it was constant. But he could finally move again. And now he knew why. Rose somehow paralysed him. He didn't know how or even why but at least it was wearing off.

He blinked slowly and flexed his hands stiffly. He wiggled his toes in his boots. He felt stiff and sore from tensing but other than his chest, he felt fine.

"Danny? Can you hear me?" Jimmy ventured nervously.

"Y-yeah," Danny croaked softly. Everyone relaxed.

"How do you feel?" Jimmy asked with a gentle smile.

"Free. I dunno how you guys did it. But the spell's gone," Danny mumbled softly. Artemis frowned.

"You don't remember?" she called.

"No. It's a blur. What happened?" Danny confirmed, stiffly turning his head to the archer. Artemis gulped nervously.

"It might be better that you don't remember," Wally remarked. Danny frowned in concern. His gaze quickly scanned the room.

"Where are the others?" he questioned worriedly.

"They're fine Danny," Sam quickly assured. Danny smiled in relief.

"Sweetie… do you feel alright? Physically?" Maddie inquired worriedly, standing up and stepping away from the Goth and towards her son.

"I feel sore and my chest is hurting but other than that," Danny muttered.

"Being paralysed does leave you feeling stiff and sore," Rose remarked.

"Your chest hurts though? Where?" Danielle asked. Danny stiffly lifted a hand and placed it right in the centre of his chest. Danielle bit her lip and gently put her hand where he had been shot.

"Not here?" she prompted.

"No. Why would you think there hurts?" Danny replied, frowning in confusion. Danielle grinned nervously and held her hands up.

"No reason," the female halfa lied. Danny scowled.

"You aren't telling me something. What happened that was so bad you won't tell me?" Danny retorted with annoyance.

"Trust us. You don't want to know," Wally repeated himself.

"No. I think I do. Did I hurt someone?" Danny pressed.

"I shot you. By accident. I… I was aiming for the crystal ball and grabbed the wrong arrow. You got in the way. The crystal ball broke and… and it was horrible. I thought- I thought I killed you," Artemis whispered. Danny blinked in shock.

"And when you recovered somehow, you went crazy. You attacked Klarion and we couldn't stop you. You wouldn't listen," Danielle added.

"Dani," Jake hissed.

"No. Thank you. I'd rather know. I knew I was angry but… Did I hurt any of you? When you tried to stop me," Danny interjected.

"Worst you did was push me over. You just wanted to hurt Klarion," Danielle admitted with a shrug. Danny nodded and grabbed Danielle's hand.

"I'm sorry then. I'm sorry I acted that way. Even if I wasn't in my right mind," Danny apologised sincerely. Everyone smiled. Danny was back to his usual self.

"Danny, can we get back to the pain in your chest?" Maddie requested, reluctant to interrupt such a tender moment but she was concerned about her son's health.

"It's not as intense as before. I could almost ignore it. But it's been like it for a while now," Danny admitted. Jimmy frowned.

"What do you mean?" the boy genius wondered.

"Before… it was like being stabbed… over and over again. And the time before that it was like I got punched. But now… it's more an ache than a pain. It's been there since my blackout. Maybe I even had it during it, I don't know," Danny explained. Jimmy frowned worriedly and turned to Jack who had already grabbed an instrument to monitor Danny's energy levels. The large man held the device over his son and scowled at the reading.

"It's higher than before," he muttered.

"I just had a thought," Spud commented.

"Is it relevant?" Artemis grumbled.

"Of course. What if all this energy in Danny's body is putting pressure on him?" Spud began.

"We kind of think that already Spud. You know the whole not eating or sleeping stuff," Jake pointed out. Spud shook his head.

"Not what I meant. Danny has an ice core right? It's a filter for his energy to go through to become ice energy. Which means it's filtering more energy than normal," Spud resumed. Danny's eyes widened. His pain was exactly where his ice core was.

"But I thought this extra energy was affecting Danny's human half, not his ghost half," Wally remarked.

"No. I think he's on to something. This is where my ice core is," Danny interjected, putting his hand back to his chest.

"Think of it like this. So much energy has got to act a bit like high blood pressure. And… what happens when someone has high blood pressure for a long time?" Spud continued, glancing worriedly at Danny.

"A heart attack," Maddie whispered in dread.

"So he's been having something like ghost heart attacks," Jimmy realised.

"Which means this energy is bad for both his halves," Sam concluded.

"We have to find a way to regulate your energy," Maddie decided and strode across the lab to her work station. Jack and Jimmy nodded in agreement and followed her lead. Sam crossed the room and leant against the table Danny was still lying on.

"It's funny… when I first felt this. I was scared it was a heart attack. I even looked up symptoms online but I didn't have any. I figured it was a one time thing," Danny commented. Sam took his hand and smiled at him gently.

"Well… you were kind of right," she muttered, her tone light but her eyes told him her true feelings. Concern and fear. Danny's green gaze drifted to Sam's arm and frowned worriedly at her bandaged burn.

"How's your arm?" he asked.

"Better. Skulker actually put some burn stuff on it back at that base. That helped a lot and your mom just looked at it," Sam informed him. Danny nodded. He glanced across the room and saw Wally's bandaged ankle.

"Did I hurt your ankle?" Danny called worriedly.

"It was more the fall than you. Don't worry. It wasn't your fault," Wally replied. Danny frowned guiltily but nodded.

"I'm almost afraid to ask this but… did you catch Klarion?" Danny ventured nervously. Everyone shared a glance.

"No. He got away. Cheshire got a hit in on me and the room filled with smoke. We were blind and both Klarion and Cheshire escaped. I'm sorry Danny," Kim confessed. Danny nodded stiffly. He knew it wasn't Kim's fault.

"But we destroyed all their Guys in White linked projects. And we did manage to catch Agent O and K. Turns out they've been running the operation since the higher ups got arrested after the whole Project White Flower thing. They teamed up with the Light shortly after that law passed, making their organisation illegal," Sam added.

"The Guys in White were involved? I should have known," Danny retorted with a slight scowl.

"You didn't?" Tucker realised with surprise.

"I didn't really hear much about what was happening. I knew they had Guys in White grade weapons. But they controlled Rose and made her rob that base in Gotham last year," Danny replied.

"We handed them over to the Justice League but we did hear one of them muttering something about branching away from the main organisation. The Guys in White must have been spilt over following the law and hunting ghosts," Wally mentioned. Danny nodded, he should have realised that would happen. The Guys in White, while complete morons and rarely competent, were resourceful and determined.

"What were they doing for the Light?" Danny inquired curiously.

"A lot of stuff actually. They were mass producing anti-ghost weapons. They were even starting to work on reverse engineering a Fenton thermos. They developed a knock-out gas that only worked on ghosts. They were the ones to figure out how to make those collars and the prototype power units they used for you. They were building the better ones Jimmy designed though. They also built a massive tank that they were going to pool all the energy they collected from the ghosts in. And they were working on something called power manipulators. They were meant to hold a ghost's energy and imbue the wearer with some ghost abilities. Like invisibility, intangibility, ghost strength, ghost ray and flight. They already had tech that could mimic intangibility but they were early stages of that project. Luckily," Tucker reported. Danny frowned.

"I thought they might try and do something like that. That or make a massive weapon powered by ghost energy," Danny muttered.

"Well, we got the leaders now. And a full list of all the Guys in White base locations. They're shut down Danny. For good this time," Sam concluded with a smile. Danny smiled at his girlfriend, feeling a fear in the back of his mind lift.

 **Finally, the situation that started during Ghostly Justice has been resolved… to a degree. The Light are still out there of course but the Guys in White are shut down.**

 **And Danny's energy problem has been solved, well a cure is pending still but at least they understand what's going on now.**

 **So really, just wrapping up the last few loose ends before the end now.**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Until the next chapter.**


	43. Chapter 43

It took all night, but between them, Jack, Maddie and Jimmy developed a tailor-made drug for Danny. The drug was designed to suppress his ghost half. However due to the excessive amounts of ghost energy in his body, it wouldn't be able to fully function which would mean he could still change forms but his energy levels would be massively reduced. They couldn't be sure if the halfa would have full access to his powers while using the drug, he mightn't be able to use his ghostly wail for instance, but it should take the pressure off his body and alleviate his potentially life-threatening symptoms such as inability to sleep, lack of appetite and the ghost equivalent to a heart attack.

That morning, Jake helped Danny down to the lab. The pain in Danny's chest had gradually grown to the point where the teen was taking pain killers just out of the need to dull the pain. The agony in his chest made it difficult for Danny to focus on much else. So, Young Justice and Jake offered to take shifts throughout the night to keep the ailing halfa company. Kim, Ron, Rose, Fu dog and Spud had all returned home the previous evening unable to stay overnight but requesting to be kept up to date. Maddie helped her son into a seat and Jack handed his wife the syringe filled with dark green liquid. Expertly, Maddie prepped Danny's arm and as gently as possible injected the solution into his arm. Together, Jack, Maddie, Jake, Jimmy and Danny stayed in the lab and waited for something to happen. The scientists were ready to jump into action to help the halfa if something went wrong like they miscalculated the dose or even the reaction the drug had with Danny's system.

Twenty minutes later, Danny's eyes began to droop in tiredness and the pain in his chest started to reduce.

"Sweetie? Any change yet?" Maddie called worriedly, seeing that her son was acting groggy.

"Yeah. The… pain's going. And… I feel really… really tired," Danny mumbled sleepily. Maddie smiled in relief.

"Then we'd best get you to bed," she replied gently and helped her son to his feet and guided him up the steps towards his room. Danny stumbled as he walked and he could hardly keep his eyes open. The moment he fell on something soft, he was fast asleep. Maddie chuckled at her son lovingly and gently pulled the teen's shoes off before grabbing a blanket off the floor and draped it over him. She ruffled his black hair and kissed him on the forehead.

She returned back downstairs, and smiled at the teens gathered in the living room. They had seen Danny go upstairs but the halfa was so tired he hadn't even noticed them.

"He's sleeping," Maddie informed them happily. The teens grinned at the news. For the first time in days, Danny could sleep. This ordeal was finally ending.

However there was one mystery to be solved. Wally and M'gann turned to Jake.

"So, why didn't you tell us you had that amulet?" Wally wondered once Maddie had gone into the kitchen to start making lunch for everyone. Jake gulped. He knew he wasn't going to get away without explaining himself.

"Except… he wasn't wearing an amulet when he was a dragon," M'gann recalled.

"And what was all that stuff about being the American dragon and having to protect ghosts?" Robin added. Jake sighed.

"You're not gonna drop this are you," Jake mumbled.

"Nope," Conner confirmed.

"I'm missing something aren't I," Valerie, wearing her suit for the sake of her secret identity, realised.

"Val, would you mind watching Danny for a few minutes?" Jazz requested. Valerie scowled at the older girl.

"Unless you'd rather we start revealing surnames," Sam threatened with a glare. Valerie glowered at the Goth but obediently left the living room.

Jake bit his lip. At least that was one less person. Jimmy was still in the lab with Jack and Maddie.

"Jake, you can trust them," Zatanna ventured. Jake sighed.

"Alright. But for the record you blackmailed me and threatened me because my gramps is gonna flip when he hears you guys know about me," Jake relented. The teen heroes looked between Zatanna and Jake, completely confused by the exchange. Jake walked a short distance from the group so that he was in front of everyone.

"Alright. You guys believe in magic right? Well, that's only the tip of the iceberg. There's a whole world of magical creatures. In that world, dragons are their protectors. Dragons keep peace between the magical creatures by settling disputes or beating back punks causing problems. Sometimes that can mean humans. I'm… I'm a dragon. The first American dragon so it's my job to protect all the magical creatures in America. I'm mainly based in New York though since I'm still training. Fu's my magical companion. My back-up so to speak. And if you need proof… dragon up," Jake explained carefully before being engulfed in fire and became a powerful red dragon. The dragon waved nervously at the group of teens.

Kaldur, M'gann, Wally, Conner, Artemis and Rocket blinked in shock and Robin tensed in alarm.

"You're not surprised," Robin realised, seeing that Tucker, Sam, Jazz, Danielle and Zatanna weren't alarmed by the sudden appearance of a fire-breathing mythical lizard.

"We already knew. Danny knows too. He came up with the cover story of saying Jake used Aragon's amulet. It does exist but Jake doesn't need it. Also the amulet needs the wearer to be distressed or angry to activate," Sam admitted. Jake reverted back to his human form.

"This is a massive secret. Please don't tell anyone else about this," Jake begged.

"Even bigger than Danny's was," Tucker added. The teen heroes blinked and glanced at Zatanna.

"Magicians are on the edge of the magical community. Dragons aren't obligated to protect us and we aren't obliged to listen to them. Same as with ghosts. But my father and I respect dragons and the rest of the community enough to keep their secrets," Zatanna confessed.

"Alright. We can leave this out of the report. And if we must tell Batman, we'll use Danny's cover story. This won't go any further," Kaldur decided, getting agreeing nods from the rest of his team.

Young Justice left that afternoon, taking Jimmy home with them. Robin offered to walk the ten year old to the front door while everyone else waited in the Bioship. Robin smirked at Jimmy as the boy grinned at the sight of his house after being gone so long.

"We have your S.O.S. signal loaded into our databases. If we ever pick it up again, we'll track it down and respond as fast as possible. The League might pop around at some point too," Robin explained.

"Thanks. But do you think that will be necessary?" Jimmy commented worriedly.

"Better safe than sorry. The Light have taken enough of an interest in you to kidnap you once. I wouldn't put it past them to do it again in the future. But then again, you've also been noticed by the League, so the Light might know not to approach you again," Robin reasoned. Jimmy smiled.

"But… I bet you'd prefer to be talking to your parents than me," Robin remarked kindly. Jimmy chuckled softly and shrugged. Robin led the way to the front door of the house and rang the doorbell.

"Coming!" a woman sang and moments later Judy Neutron opened the door. The woman froze in surprise before joyful tears welled in her eyes and she dropped to her knees, pulling her son in her arms.

"Jimmy!" she cried with delight.

"Hey mom. Sorry I didn't come straight back but I wanted to help Danny first," Jimmy muttered into her thick brown hair. Judy shook her head and gently pulled away from her son to survey him.

"That's fine. Oh Jimmy, I'm just so relieved that you're home," Judy replied happily. The woman lifted her gaze from her child to see Robin standing respectfully on the doorstep.

"Thank you for finding him and bringing him home," Judy thanked Robin sincerely. The boy wonder shook his head.

"All in a day's work ma'am. We were glad to help. Jimmy, tell your parents what you want but I ask that you not spread it further. Like Danny said at the press conference a few days ago, there are still people out there that could use that knowledge to hurt ghosts and halfas. The Guys in White might be shut down but there are free-lancers," Robin warned. Jimmy nodded in understanding. With that said, Robin walked away giving a wave over his shoulder before returning to the Bioship.

Judy grinned happily at Jimmy and led him into the kitchen and sat him down at the table.

"Are you hungry?" Judy asked.

"Not really, Mrs Fenton wanted to give us lunch before we left," Jimmy admitted with a shrug. Judy nodded before walking to the phone and calling her husband. While the woman did that, a metallic bark came from the backyard. Jimmy twisted in his seat and beamed as he saw his invention and beloved pet speed into the house though the pet door. The robotic dog jumped up at the ten year old. Jimmy dropped to the floor and pulled the robot into a hug.

"Goddard! Clever boy. I'm so glad you didn't really explode," Jimmy exclaimed with joy. Judy turned back to her son and smiled at the heart-felt reunion between Jimmy and his self-made man's best friend.

The Bioship landed in the cave hanger and the teen heroes filed out. Artemis, Raquel and Wally immediately left for the Zeta tube to return home and assure their families that they were fine. Wally couldn't wait for all the special care he'd get until his ankle healed. It was only a sprain, so he'd be back to normal in a couple of days but he was going to milk this opportunity for all it was worth. Conner ran over to Wolf and Sphere and happily greeted the team's pets having missed them both immensely over the last few days. M'gann and Zatanna grinned at the clone before leaving to relax for a little while. That left only Robin and Kaldur, and both knew they had to do one more thing before they could go off-duty for some rest and relaxation. They needed to give a report to Batman.

"Are you going to tell Batman your decision?" Kaldur inquired conversationally as they walked through the cave to the briefing room. Robin sighed.

"I dunno. I want to branch out but I'm scared I guess of upsetting Batman. I mean we're a team and team's stick together," Robin replied.

"Yes that is true. But children are eventually meant to grow up and leave their guardians. Perhaps it is time for the Robin to leave the nest," Kaldur remarked. Robin blinked and glanced at the Atlantean.

"No way you thought of that line. Where did you hear it?" Robin pointed out. Kaldur smirked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kaldur muttered. Robin chuckled.

"Stolen or not. It's good advice. But… I might wait a bit. I might try and hint at going solo before telling Batman. I'm still not decided yet," Robin decided. Kaldur nodded in understanding.

Valerie sat in the Fenton Works living room, her body suit retracted into a bracelet, with Tucker, Sam, Danielle and Jazz. Maddie and Jack were doing some calculations in the lab for Danny's treatment and Danny had yet to wake up. Jake offered to watch the halfa in case of complications.

"Thanks for coming to help us Valerie," Sam muttered, breaking the silence. Valerie shrugged.

"It was the least I could do. I heard Danny and you guys were in trouble and wanted to help. Besides… I see it as repaying favours I owed Danny," Valerie replied softly. Jazz glanced at Tucker and Sam meaningfully and both teens nodded.

"Valerie… we'll need to confirm it with Danny before it's official, but I doubt he'd disagree. But… would you like to become an official member of Team Phantom?" Jazz offered. Valerie blinked in shock.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Sam added. Valerie nibbled her lip nervously before smiling shyly.

"I'd like that but I'll wait for what Danny says before I agree," Valerie answered.

 **So plenty of endings there in that chapter. Jimmy and Young Justice going home. Valerie being offered acceptance into Team Phantom.**

 **But can anyone spot the final loose end? Hint, it's not Jake.**

 **Only one chapter left, finishing up the story and rounding things off.**

 **Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.**

 **Don't forget to check my facebook page for the winner of the poll. There's a link in my bio.**

 **Until the next chapter**


	44. Chapter 44

It wasn't until the afternoon the next day before Danny woke up.

"Hey," Jazz whispered as she saw her brother had opened his eyes.

"Hi," Danny yawned.

"How do you feel?" Jazz asked.

"My chest is hurting a bit but… I feel a lot better. Thanks. How long have I been asleep?" Danny answered with a smile.

"Over a day," Jazz told him.

"That's a joke right?" Danny retorted worriedly.

"Nope. You needed the sleep little brother. Come on, you probably need another treatment and I bet you're hungry now," Jazz remarked with a smile. Danny blinked as he sat up.

"I am actually. Wow, I haven't felt this hungry in ages," Danny commented before smiling at his sister and following her downstairs.

"Danny!" Danielle cheered in the living room currently playing a game of checkers with Jake.

"Hey. Jake? I thought you would have gone home by now," Danny greeted, frowning in confusion. Jazz smirked at her brother and silently left to inform their parents that Danny was awake and to make the halfa some food.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay before I left. But everyone else left, they had to get home. Sam and Valerie had to go home and Tucker's at the town hall. If you're okay now though, I'll head off in a bit," Jake answered. Danny smiled gratefully at the dragon.

Maddie and Jazz entered the living room a few minutes later. Maddie sat beside her son and gently took his arm to inject the drug. Danny let her and smiled when she had finished.

"Let us know when your chest starts hurting again. We need to figure out how often you need these injections," Maddie requested, lovingly pushing Danny's hair out of his blue eyes. Danny smiled at his mother and nodded in agreement before having a plate of sandwiches shoved into his hands.

"Eat up little brother. You need to take better care of your human half after the last few days," Jazz ordered kindly. The red head was right. Danny's human half was abnormally pale and he had lost weight. Obediently Danny bit into a sandwich and frowned at the flavour.

"What's in this?" he asked.

"Bacon, lettuce and avocado. You need the nutrients. No arguments," Jazz answered. Danny scowled but finished the sandwich before picking out a more appetizing sandwich, grateful that Jazz put a variety on the plate.

"I think you should take today easy but tomorrow your father and I want to check your ghost health. We've repaired the ghost containment cell," Maddie remarked. Danny frowned. He was not looking forward to that. But he nodded in agreement. Maddie patted his shoulder before taking the used syringe back to the lab. Jazz dropped into a seat beside him.

"I want you to eat at least one more of those bacon and avocado sandwiches Danny," she muttered, having spotted her brother's careful choice of sandwich. Danny scowled at her.

"You're not my mom Jazz," Danny grumbled.

"Please Danny. I'm just worried. You look really sick and I want you to be okay," Jazz pleaded. Danny sighed and picked up another avocado and bacon sandwich to appease her. Jazz grinned happily.

"King me," Jake announced, having resumed the game while Danny was getting his injection. Danielle huffed.

"Again!? I'm not very good at this game," Danielle moaned.

"You just need to learn the game Dani. You're getting better," Jazz soothed her adoptive sister, ignoring Danny's exaggerated grimaces as he ate the sandwich. Danielle, who was facing Danny, giggled at his antics.

The calm moment was interrupted by Danielle and Danny's ghost senses going off. Danielle jumped to her feet and changed to her ghost form. Danny put down the plate of sandwiches but Jazz grabbed his shoulder.

"You heard mom. You're supposed to take it easy today. Dani can handle one ghost," Jazz scolded. Danny glared at his sister but didn't argue. He knew his family were right. Also, it wasn't a good idea to learn his new limitations in a ghost fight. Danielle flashed her brother an apologetic smile before phasing out of the house to find the ghost. A few seconds later they heard explosions and crashing outside.

"Are you two sure that Dani can handle a ghost on her own?" Jake asked.

"Yeah, she's gotten a lot better. I've been teaching her. Vlad didn't really bother to teach her many fighting skills so she learnt as she went, relying on pure force before we took her in," Danny assured the dragon.

"Yeah I think the Box Ghost knows to run when he spots you two," Jazz chuckled.

"What do you mean?" Jake wondered with amusement.

"The Box Ghost is pretty good target practice. He's actually reduced the amount he comes here, finally. It only took beating him up every day and then letting Danielle at him afterwards," Danny explained. Jake snorted.

"I almost feel bad for him," Jake remarked. Danny shrugged.

"He's annoying. If that's what it takes for him to leave me alone, I'll do it," Danny replied.

Suddenly the living room window smashed and Danielle crashed into the table, sending the plate of sandwiches and checkers game board flying. Danny jumped to his feet and jumped over the broken table to Danielle as the female halfa picked herself up.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. Danielle grunted.

"Who is it?" Jazz inquired.

"Walker and a group of his lackeys," Danielle answered. Danny scowled and turned to the window.

"Take a breather Dani. I'll take over," Danny decided and with an angry scowl made his way towards the window.

"Danny! No! You can't fight Walker like you are," Jazz protested sharply. Danny glanced over his shoulder at his sister and frowned.

"Jazz, Walker's here because I attacked his prison under Klarion's orders. He's here for me. That's why he's just beating Dani up and not trying to arrest her," Danny explained as he changed into his ghost form. His transformation rings were a lot dimmer than usual.

Before Jazz could argue further, Danny phased out of the house and glared at the warden of the Ghost Zone. There were a number of ghostly guards flanking the ghost but more were groaning on the ground, many half-encased in ice.

"Punk," Walker growled.

"Walker. If this is about the other day, I'm sorry. I wasn't actually responsible for my actions. It won't happen again," Danny replied. Walker raised an eyebrow.

"Not responsible? You attacked me and my guards. Half my guards still haven't recovered!" Walker spat. Danny flinched. He couldn't remember that fight well but he did sense that he was more vicious than he would have been had he been in his right mind.

"Like I said. I'm sorry. It won't happen again," Danny repeated.

"I will have justice for my guards," Walker snarled.

"Walker… I was being controlled. I had no choice. If you want justice then you're better off going after Klarion," Danny interjected impatiently. He didn't want this to escalate into a fight. He felt a lot weaker than normal and he wasn't sure he'd be able to win that fight.

"He's not a ghost. I watched the security footage. I can't arrest a human. So I'd rather arrest a ghost with a rap sheet longer than my arm," Walker decided. Danny scowled and slipped into a ready position. He should have known he wouldn't be able to talk down Walker. The ghost wasn't the most logical when it came to arresting ghosts.

With a shout, Walker charged at Danny with his guards following close behind. Danny gulped nervously and channelled his ice powers into his hands, sending out a wide wave of ice energy which encased most of the guards in the initial charge. However Walker and three guards managed to dodge. Danny gasped in alarm and formed a green ghost shield around himself. He grunted as Walker barrelled into the shield and then growled in determination as the three guards hammered the shield with ghost rays. Danny could feel the shield giving way but he knew if that happened, he'd lose this fight. He was not getting locked up again after getting free. His eyes flashed brightly with anger and he poured more energy into the shield, pushing Walker and the three guards back as the shield grew.

Danny then dropped the shield and quickly switched to his ice powers and shot a guard before reforming his shield. The guard was frozen solid and by the time the ghosts recovered from the surprise attack, Danny had replaced the shield. The remaining three ghosts charged at the shield again. Danielle phased through the destroyed window and blinked at Danny's strategy.

"Huh. He's actually defending more than fighting. He's not relying on power," Danielle remarked. Jake carefully peered through the broken window.

"Need help?" Jake asked.

"Best we handle this Jake, but thanks," Danielle answered and fired dual shot of ice energy at the two remaining guards, freezing them to the ground. Danielle smirked as Walker twisted around to see her. He snarled angrily and stormed towards her, turning his back on Danny. Danny dropped his shield and fired ice energy at the warden before reforming his shield as Walker twisted around to face the male halfa. Danielle charged forward and punched Walker in the back of the head. Walker fell to the ground unconscious. Danielle then produced a thermos and began to suck all the ghost inside.

Danny dropped his shield, panting and sweating from exertion.

"Man, I'm a lot weaker than I realised," Danny mumbled as he walked towards the house on shaky legs. Danielle followed him once she cleared the road of ghosts.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Danielle inquired worriedly.

"Yeah. I'm just gonna have to learn to fight without relying on my powers," Danny confirmed with a tired smirk. He phased through the wall and flopped on the nearest seat not covered in glass and reverted to human. Maddie and Jack rushed over to their son out of concern.

"I'm fine. Just… worn out. That suppressor really works. Maybe a little too well," Danny muttered.

"Probably doesn't help that you haven't been eating much recently," Jazz commented and excused herself to find a broom to sweep up the broken glass, broken plate and ruined sandwiches. Jake knelt carefully on the ground and collected the checkers board and pieces.

Jake returned to New York that evening and Danny sent messages to everyone who helped him, thanking them for their involvement in his rescue and personal apologies for any hardship he caused while under Klarion's control. Over the course of the next month, Danny learnt a new fighting style while he continued to take the drug for his elevated energy, Maddie and Jack adjusting the dose as their son slowly recovered. But by the end of the month, his energy was back to normal levels and he was back to his usual self. Once Danny heard that the other members of Team Phantom had offered Valerie a place on the team, he happily agreed. He had secretly wanted to have her join since she learned his secret but hadn't wanted to upset his team, mainly Sam and Tucker who had formed a great dislike and distrust for the ghost hunter. With the Guys in White finally a thing of the past, Danny could look to the future. Maybe he could reconsider joining Young Justice.

 **So that's it. I know the ending might have been rushed a bit but I didn't want to drag out the ending by following Danny's full recovery.**

 **But I'm a lot happier with this fanfic than Ghostly Justice and hopefully that's all those loose ends cleaned up.**

 **It was requested recently that I write another Danny Phantom/American Dragon; Jake Long crossover fanfic. I haven't started it yet but I do have an idea. It will be based between Ghostly Justice and Returning Dangers. So keep an eye out for it. I post polls, as you know, on my website and adverts for upcoming stories on my facebook page, as you know also. There's links to both in my bio.**

 **I'd like to take the time now to thank everyone who took the time to read and review this story. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. Every review truly makes my day. I love hearing your thoughts and opinions. And I will be putting a number of my favourite reviews on my website under spot reviews. Check it out. Again there's a link in my bio.**

 **Other than the crossover with Jake, I have no plans to add to this series for now. But I said that before and here we are. So you never know.**

 **The winner of the poll will have the first chapter posted shortly, so check it out.**

 **Let me know what you thought of the story now that it's over.**

 **And finally,**

 **Until the next fanfic.**


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